Is It Redemption?
by LizzeXX
Summary: Loki/OC - Loki has been returned to Asgard, but without his beloved Kona, still exiled on Earth without her memories. When the Dark Elves begin their attack and ALL help is needed, Asgard's missing daughter is returned, in body and mind. How will Loki react when his love is returned to him? What will Thor do when the truth of Loki's actions is revealed? Third in the Seer's Edda.
1. Bound in Chains

A/N: Hey! :) Welcome to my **third story** in my Loki/OC series, the Seer's Edda, which includes my OC, Kona :) I would recommend that new reader check out Is It Madness (under Thor) and then Is It Revenge (under Avengers) to understand where Loki and Kona are (officially titled Loka), who she is, and what her gifts are :) This story will be based around Thor The Dark World and will be intermingled with some original scenes. It will mostly feature from Loki and Kona's POV more so most scenes of just Thor might be missing :)

This story will be about 10 chapters long, updated daily. For a reference, I picture the OC, Kona, to look something like Hudson Leick :) There will be a bigger cover of this story on my tumblr (link on my profile) and I will eventually, one day do a video for Kona and Loki as well and post it there :)

~8~ is a scene break

Disclaimer...I don't own Thor or things from the movie/comic, just my OC and some original aspects...or else I'd have had Loki featured MUCH more ;)

Enjoy!

~8~

Bound in Chains

Loki stood at the end of the long hall that led to the throne of Asgard. It was…oh so long ago that he had been standing there, in that exact spot. It was odd though, really, how much was the same and how much was different. He stood there, Loki, Odinson, apprehensive, nervous, staring out into the hall at the king on his golden throne. His brother was beside him, as he had been on the fateful day of his would-be coronation ages ago, both of them standing there tense and waiting, both of them in their Asgardian garb though sans their head pieces. Both of the were silent, able to sense the seriousness of the situation.

But quite unlike the last time they had been together like that, there was no joking between them, no attempts to lighten the situation and relieve the other party. There were no Asgardians gathered to line the path to the throne to cheer on the future king. There was no sense of joy in the room as the Allfather sat, grim, and glaring out of his one eye. Loki stood there, chained, bonds around his waist and his wrists tied before him, as restrained as he could be while still being allowed to walk. It was meant to be humiliating, to make the criminal walk to the throne instead of being pushed there on a moving chair or some other such device. But the worst part to Loki was that…

Kona wasn't there.

Kona had always been his support, his rock, the one person who believed in him more than anyone, more than even Frigga he knew it was possible to say. She had been his friend as a child, the daughter his nursemaid, his closest companion, who had grown more important to him through the years. She was…the most important woman in his world, she was the person who understood him better than anyone, she was just…his heart. She was his everything. He had risked Odin's ire to request the Allfather's permission to court her, and had succeeded in gaining it. He had been the most faithful, true, and loving man he could possibly be to her…because she was just the same and more to him in return. He had…they had just told each other the true depth of their feelings for each other only a short while before the entire fiasco with the Jotuns and Odin and Thor returning from banishment had come into play. They had barely had time with each other to explore their newly revealed feelings…when it all fell apart.

She wasn't standing on the stairs that led to the throne, in her white and golden dress, waiting. She wasn't there, standing primly, her hands before her, a soft smile on her face. She wasn't there with her golden hair and her hazy, unseeing brown eyes that always seemed to find him no matter where he was. He closed his eyes, he could remember SO many moments where he had promised her that, one day, he would manage to sneak up on her, to put a trick past her, though they both knew the chances of that were slim. She always was and always would be the one who saw him better than anyone.

But she wasn't there.

She was trapped, on Earth, as a human, stripped of her immortality, of her title as a spækona, a seer, of the House of Odin, and…of her memories of Asgard, her memories of HIM. And it was all because of him. His plan to try and allow Thor to grow into a better man, a more worthy King had just…been shattered. Thor had been sent to Earth, the Jotuns had been stopped, and when Thor returned he WAS better, he was ready for the throne…but he had been given false (or what he hadn't known was false) information before he'd returned. He had been told one side of the events that had taken place in Asgard during his banishment, he had been told by the Warriors Three and Sif what they believed was happening.

And they believed that he had betrayed Asgard, that he had let the Jotuns in to destroy everything and kill Odin, that Thor's banishment had been on purpose so that the path to the throne might be cleared for HIM to seize it. They believed that it had been some grand plot to see Thor removed, Odin dead, and HIM on the throne. They believed Kona had helped him in that purpose and while she HAD helped him, nothing was as the four believed it to be at all.

Thor had taken the information for what it was, for why would his four best friends lie to him? And his brother had reached a decision based on it, misguided as it was, that if he returned and saw that the words and warnings of the four were true…he would take up his position as King and see that the betrayal was dealt with and punishments were properly given. The moment he returned to Asgard he had been recognized as the rightful king and been given all the powers that the king would wield, and that…included the right to banishment in any form and to any extreme. Thor had come upon them in Odin's chambers after he had stopped Laufey from killing Odin, had seen them celebrating, had heard them vaguely reference some sort of plan…and he had felt the words of the four had been correct, had truly believed in his heart that they HAD betrayed Asgard.

He could still remember Thor grabbing Kona out of his grasp and flying off with her, to the Bifrost. He could remember the frantic pounding of his heart as he raced after them, trying to get there, trying to stop Thor from making the greatest mistake of his life. And he'd failed. Thor had sent Kona through the Bifrost, to earth, stripped of her memories and banished from Asgard. He'd tried to show his brother that he was STILL on Asgard's side, that he always had been, by trying to destroy Jotunheim, but he'd failed in doing that. He'd made his brother think him mad, and then…the Bifrost had been destroyed in an effort to save the one Realm. He'd fallen off the bridge to it, had grabbed Gungnir in Thor's hand as Odin grabbed Thor…before he let go. He couldn't bear to see the disappointment on Odin's face, the betrayal that lingered in Thor's eyes, the…distance between him and Kona. He'd let go and fallen into the abyss with a single fleeting hope that he might see Kona again.

And he had…in a way. He had found her again, but she had been unaware of who he was. She had no knowledge at all of who she was or where she was from or the sight she possessed despite being blind. She didn't know anything before she'd woken up in a hospital, she didn't remember Asgard or…him, their love. But, somehow, she had still retained a sense of him, of what they had. They had reconnected, he'd seen glimpses of the real her in the shell that endured on Earth.

He'd lost more than he cared to admit in his quest to get back to her, his mind, his freedom, his control…he'd become a pawn to the Chitauri, had helped them invade Earth, had helped them destroy and kill and harm so many…he felt sick thinking of it. And through it all, only Kona, even without her memories, believed in him, SAW what had happened to him, and had faith that what everyone else saw wasn't what it appeared to be. She had freed him of their control, she had made the others aware that he'd been controlled. Her faith in him…it seemed to have shaken Thor's own knowledge of what had happened during his banishment.

For the first time in…so long, his brother was standing BESIDE him once more. But he doubted that even Thor's vouching would be able to alter the Allfather's mind about it all. Odin, while he'd fallen into Odinsleep, had been able to see and hear what went on around him. And he knew that what he heard and what he saw would only add to the thought that he and Kona had betrayed Asgard. Most of their discussions on how to help Thor had gone on elsewhere than the Allfather's chambers. And the only events that happened within those walls had been him speaking to his mother before he was made King in Thor's place and when Laufey had attacked him, when Thor had returned and shouted out the lies the Warriors Three and Sif had told him, about how he and Kona were plotting against them and had betrayed them all. That, on top of all that had happened before and between that the Allfather had learned, from Thor and his friends…it only blackened his mind and heart against his 'son' as well. He had felt Thor die on Earth when the Destroyer had been sent. THOR was his true son, and the bonds of blood reached far, he had felt his son die…and had learned from others that it had been on Loki's command that it had even gone to Earth and that Kona had been the one controlling it while it was there.

He doubted the Allfather would give him so much as a chance to explain. He was…known for his mischief, for his lies, his cunning, his silver tongue…and Odin was well aware that Thor would try to see his 'brother' still inside him. Odin would believe he'd manipulated Thor, he'd believe he was lying now. He wouldn't trust him again and he knew that likely meant that he would keep him and Kona separated too.

His thoughts were cut off when the guards that were holding the chains began to move, forcing him to walk on. He didn't bother to spare a glance at Thor, keeping his head bowed as he walked the path towards the throne. He didn't remember the walk being this long though and he had run up and down that path from the time he could walk, chasing Thor and playing with him, walking down them for his own ceremonies of honor. It was…odd how much longer a walk felt when it was done in shame.

Oh he wasn't shamed by what he'd done when Thor had been banished, no. He knew in his heart that, no matter what, his actions had given Asgard a king that was worthy of it. Thor had grown and matured because of the things he and Kona had had a hand in, he had become a…remarkable man, one deserving of the throne. He was not and would never be ashamed for having had a hand in helping his brother grow to the king he was and would be. No, he was…ashamed by what he'd done on Earth. He was ashamed that he'd been so weak that he'd fallen under the Chitauri control, that he hadn't been strong enough to fight them, that he had succumbed to their tortures and manipulations. He was ashamed of what he'd let himself become, of what he'd done to the earth, the people he'd hurt, the destruction he'd caused. His mind had always been his most powerful asset and treasured weapon and it had been compromised by the Chitauri.

He was ashamed that he hadn't been a strong enough man to fight back and NOT let it happen.

And he was burdened in the thought and the knowledge that no one would believe that of him. To them, they saw him doing as the Chitauri commanded, they saw him choosing to attack Earth, wanting to rule it, wanting the power that conquering a planet could offer. Even THOR had thought the same when he'd been on Earth trying to stop him. Only Kona (always Kona) had seen past that, had noticed that something was VERY wrong and had fought to make things right once more. He very much doubted that, without the scepter and evidence of the control, that the Asgardians would believe that. They would see it as an excuse, they would see him trying to escape punishment by claiming it wasn't in control of himself.

They would think he was lying.

"Loki..." a gentle voice called.

Only then did he stop, only then did he look up from the floor, to see Frig…his mother, standing there to the side, by a pillar a few feet ahead of the steps to the throne. She looked at him sadly, a small frown on her face, tears in her eyes as she gazed at him, one of her hands was in a fist and pressed to the middle of her chest for comfort as her other hand rested on the pillar.

Loki looked at her, "Hello Mother," he greeted, his voice quiet, thick, deep, with as little emotion as he could try to manage. He didn't want to come across as arrogant, he didn't want to sound anything other than sorry for what he'd done, but…he knew that sounding too sorry would also make them suspicious. He was trying to be…neutral, hoping that the others would be able to detect any truth or falsehood in it, "Have I made you proud?" he asked her.

Frigga could only give him a sorrowful look and he felt his heart break as he realized WHY she was looking at him like that.

"You too then," he whispered, letting out a small, hollow breathy laugh.

Of all the people in his life, there were two that had the power to deeply hurt him. Oh Thor and Odin could hurt him physically, sometimes emotionally like when Thor had banished Kona and he'd learned that Odin refused to lift the banishment, but…there were two that could hurt him in ways no one else could. Kona…and his mother. Kona, he knew, would never be able to hurt him, because he saw it in her face, when HE was upset or pained, so was she. She loved him so much that she would willingly take as much of his pain as she could onto herself to share and ease his burden. She would never add to it, she trusted him and she loved him more than anyone else.

He had thought the same was true for Frigga…but it appeared he'd been wrong. Because he saw it in her face just then…

She had believed he HAD done all he had, exactly as the others claimed he had.

She truly…she thought him capable of such crimes. She, in some amount, no matter how small, believed that he was capable of attacking a planet for no reason, of trying to destroy it, of trying to conquer and kill and rule and…it hurt. No matter if she only believed it in some small amount, no matter if she had only believed it for a moment or two, the fact that she HAD…it killed him. The fact that she had doubted him, his own mother, the one woman besides his 'wife' that should have been there for him and trusted and believed in him more than any other person…doubted him…he just…didn't understand.

Of all people, he had thought Frigga would see the truth, would believe in him. He had asked her, _begged _her, when he'd left Odin's chambers to trust in him, to believe in him…and now to see that she hadn't it felt like a betrayal to him.

His entire family, his mother, his father, his brother, they had all failed to believe in him, to listen.

Only Kona had ever trusted him implicitly and completely, with her whole heart and soul…and she wasn't there.

"I had hoped," he murmured, looking at his mother with such an expression of hurt and betrayal in his eyes that tears came to her own, "That you, of all people, would trust in the one you claim to call 'son.'"

"Please," she whispered, knowing that talking like that to Odin would only cause problems, the man was…not the same since his last Odinsleep, he was embittered against the man he'd once called a son, he felt as stinging a betrayal as she saw in Loki's own eyes, "Don't make this worse."

He let out a scoffing laugh, "Define worse," he shook his head, "I am standing here, in chains, with my family looking at me as though I were a monster, separated from the woman I love. How could it get any worse?"

"Enough!" Odin shouted as Loki moved to open his mouth, "I will speak to the prisoner alone," he shot a look at Thor and Frigga when they hesitated to move. He fixed Thor with a look and the man sighed, moving to Frigga's side to lead her away.

Loki waited till all the others, save the guards, had left the room before looking at Odin, "Is this necessary?" he asked, holding up his bound wrists, "I really don't see what all the fuss is about…"

And he truly didn't. Yes, he knew he had attacked Earth, but he had been under the Chitauri control, which he was free of. And he knew that everything he'd done before he'd fallen into the abyss had been to protect Asgard, why would he attack her now?! Despite everything, this was still his home, he would never see Asgard harmed. And the fact that his own…father…had ordered him to be chained this way, didn't trust that there had been something wrong with him, that he had not done what he had on Earth of his own free will or that he had had only the best intentions for Asgard when it all first happened…hurt.

It was as though the man expected him to suddenly strike out and attack him, to murder him and take the throne or something to that effect.

Odin didn't trust him.

"Do you truly not feel the gravity of your crimes?" Odin shook his head, misinterpreting Loki's question to be about Earth and all he'd done instead of why he was in chains when he wouldn't be attacking, "Wherever you go there is war, ruin, and death…"

Loki sighed, shaking his head, "I went down to Midgard to rule the people of earth as a benevolent god," he murmured.

And it was true…at the time. When he'd been under the Chitauri's influence, when he'd seen the humans attacking Kona, he had snapped. He admitted it, he hadn't just wanted to seize the earth to barter it for Kona's return to Asgard, no…he'd wanted to rule it, to make sure no one would harm her. And he KNEW, if he had made it that far, if he had been in charge of and responsible for so many lives, so many children…the Chitauri control would have broken. Because he would NEVER be able to bring himself to harm a child. And even if he had not snapped out of it and broken free by that point…he KNEW he would have had Kona by his side, SHE would have kept him in line, she would have made him kinder, made him treat them all better…because she, even without her memories, was still as concerned about people's safety as ever. He could imagine that her own desire for Asgard to have a king that was worthy of her and would protect her would have echoed to her on Earth, that she would have wanted Earth to have a 'ruler' that was worthy of her. SHE would have made him into a better man, because no matter what the Chitauri wanted or what his twisted mind would have been willing to do to the 'insolent humans' he knew all she had to do was ask him…and he would give her whatever she wanted.

"We are not gods," Odin cut in, "We are born, we live, we die. Just as humans do."

"Give or take 5000 years," he murmured under his breath, wincing at the thought.

Kona was human now. Thor had stripped her of her immortality too. She would grow old at the same rate as a human while she was on Earth, she would grow old and he would remain as he was. It didn't matter to him, her age, what she looked like, she would always be his Kona but…he didn't want her to die. He didn't want her to live for so long without him. He knew he wouldn't be able to bear it himself. He had barely managed a year without her, it had been torture, to imagine the rest of his life…to imagine him living out millennia more and to know that, after she passed, there was NO way to be with her…what point would there be to living?

"All this because Loki desires a throne," Odin shook his head, sounding weary.

Loki looked up at him, "You always told me it was my birthright to sit on a throne…" he began, he didn't want Odin to think he desired the throne.

He didn't.

He didn't want Odin to make it out to be that he felt he deserved the throne. He knew Thor did, he wanted Thor on the throne. But he would NOT let Odin make it seem like he had stolen something that there wasn't a chance of being his. He didn't want Odin to think he had usurped the throne. In the eyes of Asgard, HE WAS a son of Odin, he was the second in line to the throne after Thor. His own MOTHER had given her blessing for him to take up the throne in Thor's place. It wasn't like he had swooped in out of nowhere and stolen it.

It had been GIVEN to him, even when he DIDN'T want it.

"Your birthright was to die as a child," Odin snapped suddenly, angry, "Cast out onto a frozen rock. If I had not taken you in you would not be here now to hate me."

Loki was silent at that, hate…it was a powerful word. And right at that moment…he could admit that yes…he DID hate Odin, if only a bit. Nowhere near enough to want to cause him harm or pain or see him dead though. He just…he hated what Odin had made of this. He hated that Odin refused to bring Kona back. He hated that Odin had such little faith in him. He hated that Odin had LIED to him for so long. And…he hated that Odin wouldn't give him the chance to explain, because even if he had…he knew Odin wouldn't believe the 'lying' son.

And in that hate…he felt sorrow, to know that his father was so angry and bitter against him, that his father had lost faith in him. Even now he could see the distrust, the betrayal, the anger, and the disappointment in Odin's eyes, and he couldn't bear it, "If I am for the axe," he began quietly, "Then for mercy's sake just…swing it," he breathed, he knew Kona would have no hope of returning to Asgard, she'd be trapped on Earth, alone, without him, and she'd die…why should he prolong the same for him? A life without her, in any form, was not a life he wanted, he would welcome the axe if it meant an end to the pain in his hearts, to have had her and lost her more than once, "It's not that I don't love our little talks it's just..." he sighed, "I _don't_ love them."

Because right now…he could see how much his father would never trust him or believe in him again. He could see how little Odin would consider there was more to it than what he thought. To be king meant he had to consider the safety of his people, to be a father meant he had to love his son…to have said prince and son 'betray' him…there would be no redemption for him in Odin's eyes. Odin fully believed he had betrayed Asgard, betrayed HIM. Odin wouldn't listen while the sting of betrayal was still so strong.

Nothing he could say would get through to his father, not right now.

"Frigga…" Odin began, not about to add and Thor, as he was not sure of his eldest son's intentions for requesting he let Loki live just yet, "Is the only reason you're still alive and you will not see her again. You will spend the rest of your days in the dungeon."

Loki swallowed hard, he would have rather the axe than to be publicly announced as an enemy of Asgard in such away, to be cast out with the others who had truly wished to see his home destroyed and counted among their numbers, "And what of Thor?"

Right then…he wasn't sure how he felt about Thor being king. He had grown SO much, become such a worthy king but…the way he'd reacted to Kona, the little faith he'd had in HIM, how willing he'd been to believe him a traitor…a king needed patience and a clear head, needed to LISTEN to his enemies. Something even Odin seemed to be failing to do in his old age. But…at the same time, Thor seemed to have doubts about what had happened, seemed to be repentant and regretful of what he'd done. There was a chance his brother was still in there, and there was a chance that, if he could overcome that, that Thor really would be the best king of Asgard.

"Thor must strive to undo the damage you have done," Odin stated, "He will bring order to the Nine realms, and then…he will be king," Odin turned to the guards, "Take him away."

Loki let out a breath as he turned with the guards, walking out, his head bowed.

"Loki…" he heard Thor speak as he stepped out of the throne room, his brother the only one there.

But he didn't lift his head, he just kept walking, best to do as the Allfather commanded than to be seen as 'resisting' or some other nonsense.

Thor watched not...Loki…go, but…his brother. The man was his brother again, he could see it. He HAD seen it the moment Kona had broken the Chitauri scepter and Loki awoke, the look in his eyes was SO different than the near-crazed look he'd given him when he'd confronted him when they'd jumped from the jet. It was…LOKI again. It had been the deciding factor in his quest for the truth. It had niggled him for ages after Loki had fallen into the abyss, why he had done what he had. To see that everything he thought he knew about why Loki was attacking earth torn to pieces…it made him realize, he really had NO idea why Loki had done what he had on Asgard.

And that was something he NEEDED to know.

He could NOT let his brother rot in chains while he was made king when…there was a chance he owed all he had to Loki in the first place.

He turned and strode through the doors, into the throne room to see Odin sitting weary on his throne, alone, Gungnir leaning beside him, him a bit hunched forward, his head in his hands. He knew it had been harder on his father than him, what Loki had done. HE had been able to walk about and do things and had time to come to terms with it. Odin had woken up to find everything going on in the middle of it and it had hit him so much harder that Loki had 'betrayed' them. He hadn't been there to 'see it coming' or to find signs of it impending.

"Father," Thor gave him a half-bow as he came to stand at the foot of the throne.

"Ah, Thor," Odin straightened, "My son. You have succeeded in you mission to return Loki to us for his crimes and I am most grateful."

"That is what I wished to speak to you of, father," Thor began, choosing his words carefully, "The events on Earth have…cast doubts about the events preceding it."

"How so?" Odin eyed him.

Thor straightened, trying to show his full height, the strength of his conviction, "Loki, it was proven, was under the control of the Chitauri and of the Tesseract himself, as you are aware."

"Yes," Odin nodded, "But being influenced by one does not excuse the actions of another."

Thos swallowed, "I agree," even though he didn't, "However, I faced Loki on Earth, fully believing he was acting of his own accord, in his own mind, and…it was false. I am…concerned," he supplied, "That…there may be more at hand regarding the events that led to the Bifrost destruction and Laufey's death, than we are aware."

Odin paused to consider that, "And you wish to investigate more?"

"Yes," he nodded, "I wish to make absolutely certain that it was Loki at work and that he was not…controlled or influenced at that point as well."

He HATED to say it like that, to make it seem like his intention was to ensure that Loki WAS responsible and had done all that for the reasons Odin (and he at one point) believed. He truly hated to say it, but he knew it was the only way Odin would consider his proposal. Truly though…he wanted to see for himself what the reasons had been.

"It would not do well if one of our enemies were able to influence and manipulate one of our own within our own walls," he added, seeing Odin considering it more. Bringing up that Loki HAD been IN Asgard when it had all happened might be just enough to…

"And how do you propose to gather such evidence?" Odin had to ask, "Loki is in the dungeons, we cannot trust his words."

Thor nodded, "Father…I beg your permission to return Kona to Asgard."

"Kona?" Odin stiffened.

Thor took a breath knowing that Odin felt JUST as betrayed by Kona's apparent hand in it all as he did with Loki. Kona had been the one HE had gifted with the power of seeing the future, she had been the one Odin had taken to Mimir's well and given her the sight she had. In Odin's mind Kona had owed her life to him and Asgard, and to see her turn her back on them…it seemed he had conveniently forgotten that his own son had been the cause of her blindness in the first place, "If she were returned to Asgard and…her memories restored," he added, "She would be honor bound as a Seer of the House of Odin, to speak truly about what happened, if YOU gave the order. She would not dare lie to you father, especially not…" he hesitated, "Not if it was in the chance of returning home."

He didn't add returning to Loki, he knew Kona would much rather that than come to Asgard. But if Odin believed that Kona would be more willing to speak the truth upon her return, he would be more inclined.

"She is the only one who knew of Loki's plans," he continued, "She is the only one we can extract the entire truth from."

Odin was silent a moment, thinking on Thor's words and his request, before he sighed, "You have my permission," he began, "To return Kona to Asgard…but ONLY," he added, "When your duties have been seen to. There is still much to be done through the Nine Realms, and the safety of Asgard will always come first. Loki is of no threat while in the dungeon, yet danger is ramming at our gates even now, from other sides."

Thor swallowed but nodded, "I thank you father," before he turned and left.

He wouldn't be able to get Kona back to Asgard right then…it was true there were wars being wages and pillaging and slaughters everywhere…that HAD to be seen to first. But…at least he knew, when he succeeded in that…there was still a chance to find out the truth and, maybe, to have his brother back.

A/N: And Thor has FINALLY come around :) And soon, Kona just might be back in Asgard...I wonder what will happen, what will be revealed, and what Loki's reaction will be to that? ;) I know there wasn't much Loka here, I wanted to set the stage of why Loki's still in prison and what the plan for Kona will be. But we'll be getting to them very soon ;)

Some notes on reviews...(from the end of Is It Revenge?)...

I hope you liked the little chat with Loki and Odin :) The banishment might be temporarily revoked, but we'll have to see if that will continue }:)

Oh Loka will be together, no worries :) We'll have to wait and see if Loki will still be king though }:)

Happily ever after will be coming, yup, but I won't say when :)


	2. A Blind Mission

A Blind Mission

Kona groaned as she rolled over in her bed, hearing a small phone going off beside her. She opened her unseeing eyes and glared at her bedside table, glared at the phone even if she couldn't see it. She HATED that phone, because of who had given it to her, because of who called her, the ONLY ones who ever called her. She debated for a moment not answering, before she sighed, knowing that if she didn't, it would just keep ringing over and over or she'd end up with someone breaking down her door again.

She was NOT overly fond of being scared half to death while wearing nothing but a towel after showering in that manner again. The nerve of them to come barging in merely because she hadn't answered the phone! Why on earth would she have taken it into the bathroom with her to have a shower?! She had left it on her bed and stepped out to hear it buzzing away, a sign for a missed call. She had gone to pick it up, the towel around her, had just played the first message when the door had flown open with a crash, scaring her half to death as she whirled around. What went through the minds of people like that? To break into a blind girl's home?! She had been furious when the men started to sputter, seeing her like that, and apologize, and when she'd heard who they were and where they were from, how they worked for...she had thrown whatever she could at them. Her phone, her shoes, one of the pans she had managed to buy, anything she could get her hand on and use with one hand as the other kept the towel up. She'd chased them out and left a...very colorfully worded message after that.

"Stop calling me," she answered the phone, not even giving the person on the other end a chance to talk. There was only one reason they ever called her, one request they ever made and she ALWAYS refused them. She would have thought they'd pick up on it by now, realize that she was always going to say no to them, "I've told you once, I've told you literally a thousand times for years, the answer is NO. I will NOT join you. I will NOT help you. I will NOT be used again. You want to save the world, you figure out a way to do it on your own. I'm DONE."

She clicked the phone off and dropped it onto the bed beside her as she fell back onto her back, staring unseeingly at the ceiling above her.

It had barely been a minute before the phone went off again. She reached out and grabbed her pillow this time, moving it over her face as she screamed into it in frustration. This was slowly driving her insane. They didn't seem to know how to take NO for an answer. Every so often they'd call her, they'd request her help, request the use of her abilities.

She had…been having dreams.

Every since the events that had devastated New York years ago, she had been dreaming of things, things that seemed were yet to come. And it was all because of Agent Barton. When she had first mentioned to him that she had had a dream of Loki, of how he'd arrived on Earth so long ago…he'd confirmed that the way she'd dreamed it was how it had really happened. Ever since then, since being confronted with Loki and Thor and the truth of her past (what little she still knew of it) her dreams had gotten more…vivid, more…far-reaching. Sometimes it seemed that she could dream the future. She didn't often dream, she hated dreaming really.

Unless it was about Loki.

But that was just the problem too, the last dream she'd had of him had been of him standing before a man with one eye as he sat on a golden throne, Loki himself before him, bound in thick chains, before being led out by guards and thrown into a prison cell, locked away.

That was the last she'd dreamed of him and it worried her enormously. She'd been spending the last two years trying to do all she could to find a way to…Asgard, she believed Loki had called it. She had tried to find out more about herself, about who she used to be. She'd tried everything, hypnosis, meditation, recording her dreams (which didn't help as most were about the 'future'), researching myth and legend about the Norse Gods, trying for something, anything, to spark her memories, but they remained locked away as much as they had been.

But her dreams had put her on the radar of others and they kept harassing her, trying to get her to use them to benefit THEM. She had worked a bit with her dreams and sensations as much as she could since New York. Now that she realized she could dream the future and, at times, see the future in flashes in her head, she had tried to practice in them. She had tried to find some sort of control for them. It hadn't worked very well, it was like…whatever was blocking her memories was keeping her sight from increasing as well. It was like she could only tap into it when she wasn't aware or prepared for it. When she least expected it, it hit her, when she tried…she failed. It was enormously frustrating but it had afforded her an excuse to turn them down time after time, she wouldn't be of any use if her visions were so random.

It didn't mean they would stop though, no in fact they seemed determined to believe they could help her improve her gift.

And so she grabbed her phone.

"I said NO Agent Coulson!" she ground out, "I want nothing to do with SHIELD!" and hung up.

She had sat up, ready to throw her phone across the room…when it rang again. She flicked it open, "Leave me al…"

"Kona," Coulson cut in, his voice firm yet not loud, making her fall silent, "Please just listen, this isn't about SHIELD or anything. It's…"

"What?" she asked, a bit harsh, but she felt it couldn't be helped.

SHIELD had been the ones to lock up Loki, the ones to knock her out and let Thor leave with him. SHIELD had been the ones to manipulate Coulson's apparent death just to inspire their team of Avengers to go after Loki. If Captain America hadn't given that command and hadn't had her taken care of, she would have been there. She could have gone with Thor and Loki back…back home. But she hadn't been. SHIELD had seen fit to keep her back, and she'd been left on Earth. She didn't so much care about returning to Asgard, no, she could barely remember the place, she wasn't sure how much she considered it home any longer. No, she was…she was more focused on Loki, HE was her home.

And he'd been taken away.

And it had been a misery ever since, her, in her apartment, on Earth, knowing he wouldn't be let back, knowing he had to have been taken as prisoner if her dream was true, and knowing it was just her and her kitten…she'd changed his name. She couldn't bear to call him Loki any longer…that and she'd found out HE was really a SHE. She called the kitten Freda, she didn't know why just…it sounded familiar and it felt right.

Coulson sighed, "I've…found something out," he told her, "Something I'm not supposed to know. Something…YOU ought to know though."

"And what's that?" she asked, far more quietly this time.

She had made it abundantly clear to Coulson that he was NOT to call her unless…unless it was something to do with Loki. Oh she had raged when she found out the man was alive. She'd been in her apartment, idly sitting in her kitchen, a cold cup of tea before, when her door had been kicked in…yet again (she was starting to think she ought to invest in a steel door or something) and she'd been pulled out of her apartment and brought to another one of SHIELD's bases. Coulson had been there.

She'd slapped him.

Hard.

Because of him, because he'd let the others think Loki had killed him, they had gone after him with a vengeance, they had been even less inclined to believe her or Loki or Barton when they tried to stop the team from attacking him after the Hulk had beaten him. And there he had been, alive and well, trying to get her to join SHIELD.

She may or may not have punched him for that request.

It hadn't stopped the man from trying to contact her, from trying to appear randomly whenever she was alone somewhere outside her home. He appeared at the hospital, whenever she sat in the park, whenever she managed enough extra money for a small treat at a bakery…he wouldn't leave her alone. Half the time she felt like he was trying to understand why she kept saying no when she knew what it meant for the safety of the Earth. But when she'd explained everything that happened, everything she could vaguely remember, and everything she thought about SHIELD and Loki…he backed off. She felt like he'd been able to see how important Loki was to her, how…out of place she truly felt on Earth and he had seemed to understand. He had made her a promise that he would only contact her in the future if it was something truly serious.

He'd still called a few times to request her help on certain events taking place, which irritated her as, each and every time, she told him flat out NO, but…now…now it seemed like something might be happening.

"We've picked up some readings…in London, of an…anomaly of sorts," he began, "It's similar to the readings that we picked up in New Mexico."

She stiffened at that. She vaguely remembered something about New Mexico, that it was important, that it had a deeper meaning for her, like…it was the beginning and the end of something. She knew there was something about Thor, about him being on Earth. She winced, pressing a hand to her head, that was another little development, the more she tried to remember, the harder she tried…she got a headache, a sharp shooting pain, that made her stop.

"We think it might be a sign that…someone's coming."

"An Asgardian?" she breathed.

"We think," he emphasized, not wanting to get her hopes up, "I can't give you any specifics, I can't even tell you the location, but…you might find something in the mail that I CAN give you."

Kona frowned and pulled her phone from her ear when she heard a click ending the call. She got up and moved over to the door. She didn't even bother to change out of her night clothes as she made her way down the hall, her hand trailing it for guidance, down the stairs, to the mail boxes in the wall. She put her key into her slot and opened it, pulling out a single envelope. She opened it, feeling that there was a card within. She opened it, a piece of paper sliding into her hands as a voice spoke.

"Kona," Coulson began, his voice playing on the 'record your own message' of the card, "This is a ticket to London, one way, leaves at 2pm. Good luck."

Short and to the point, not that he could leave a long drawn out message on a card recording. But she looked in the direction of the paper, the ticket, and smiled. Before her eyes widened and she grabbed her phone, pressing a button.

"Eleven Twenty-Seven," a computerized voice spoke.

She let out a breath and turned, running back up the stairs. She had a plane to catch.

~8~

Jane Foster wandered through the halls of an abandoned warehouse in the middle of London, a small handheld device in her hand, trying to get ridings of what was most likely THE most incredible gravitational anomaly she had ever and would ever discover in her life. It was like this gap in the middle of the warehouse through which objects fell through one portal and out of one above it, over and over. Objects below the bottom most portal could float up towards it, lifted with a single touch, so much so that a child could lift a bus!

Which HAD actually happened, as startling as that was.

What had intrigued her most was that the signals they were getting off of the portal…they were almost identical to the signals that they'd picked up just before Thor had arrived in New Mexico. She was trying VERY hard not to get her hopes up but…it meant there was a chance that Thor was coming back, after years, after promising he'd return…he finally was.

Maybe.

She wandered through the halls, looking around as the scans picked up a stronger wave of activity down a darker hall. She had just turned towards it when a voice called out behind her.

"DON'T go down there."

She spun around with a gasp to see a blonde woman in a dull grey sweatshirt that seemed two sizes too big and black pants, no jacket, standing behind her. Her eyes immediately went to the white and red walking stick in her hand and up to the girl's own hazy brown eyes.

She swallowed hard, straightening, not wanting to show how startled she'd been, "And why not?"

Kona looked past her, down the dark hall, where a gentle breeze was drifting to them, a breeze that was not coming from outside as it wasn't windy out, raining, yes, but not windy. She frowned as she looked in the direction of the wind, it had taken her…ages to get there, far longer than it should have but…she hadn't slept at all on the plane there. She really HATED flying with a passion and had spent the entire trip sitting rigidly in the plan, in the middle seat as she had no need to look out the window nor was she going to attempt getting up to use the restroom at all.

She'd been awake since…she couldn't remember when, having only grabbed what she could carry in a single small bag…which was actually practically everything she had to her name on Earth. She grabbed the few clothes she had, she grabbed a trinket or two, and…that had been about it. She hadn't been able to take Freda with her though, but luckily the last year a lovely family moved in down the hall from her with a little girl who loved playing with the kitten. So she'd gifted it to the girl…and left before the parents could find out and refuse it. She'd landed and tried to find her way around…but she'd had no idea where to go or what to do.

She'd taken every spare piece of money she'd had and exchanged it, called a cab and…just driven around. She had closed her eyes and concentrated as hard as she could, praying that, just this once, her visions or foresight or sight or whatever the hell it was would not fail her. She had hoped that, with whatever the anomaly was that it would…she didn't know, tap into her psyche and let her sense the anomaly easier.

It hadn't worked.

It wasn't till they'd been driving and a car had suddenly swerved onto their street and then swerved left down an alley that she had gasped and ordered the cab driver to follow the car, just KNOWING that it would lead her to the anomaly. And it had. She'd asked the cabbie to tell her what was happening as they pulled up far enough away to not be noticed, but to still see the other car. He'd merely said that two women and a man had gotten out and walked into the building. She'd paid him and half-run out of the car to get to the building herself.

She'd followed the voices she could hear, being especially careful not to have her walking stick bang into anything and alert them to her presence. She'd followed that Jane woman when she'd heard another call her Jane. She knew (for who else could it be) that it was the woman that Coulson had been talking to Thor about when she'd been taken in by the Avengers. It was Jane Foster, a name that was far too familiar to her, a familiarity that stemmed from the part of her mind she knew was prior to her amnesia.

She'd followed the woman around, listening to her muttering and to the beeping of her device, and she'd…caught a glimpse, a glimpse of what was coming for the woman. She'd seen blackness, and stone pillars, and a red light, and Jane…a woman with brown hair gasping as the red was sucked into her…and then she'd felt the breeze, the breeze that couldn't exist and knew THAT was where it happened. She didn't know what it was or what would happen from it, but…Jane had seemed like she was in pain, so…she'd just wanted to help.

And if Jane died there might be less chance of her working out what the anomaly was and if it really would lead back to Loki.

Jane was waiting for a reply, she knew, but…how did one explain to a woman of science not to go down a dark hall because you'd seen it happen, being clearly blind, in a vision in your head? The woman would laugh her off and go anyway.

"I just…" she struggled to find the words, "I wouldn't go in there."

"I'm getting readings that I've never seen before," Jane told her, partially speaking the truth as she had no idea who this woman was or why she was there, "I'm not about to pass up finding out what they are."

And with that Jane turned and took a few steps into the hall…pausing when she felt a wind drift by her, before taking a few more…only to be sucked down the hall with a small scream that was cut off as she disappeared.

Kona straightened, listening before she sighed, "I TOLD you," she muttered. She took a breath and headed down the hall after Jane, starting to frown when she felt…no breeze at all. She walked farther, faster, but…there was no pull on her, no tug…it was like whatever that portal had been was gone.

"Please," she breathed, closing her eyes, praying, "Please tell me I haven't lost my way to him _again_."

~8~

Five hours later would find Kona sitting on the floor in the middle of the warehouse. It wasn't the same hall that Jane had disappeared through but…it was the only place she could find herself able to stop. She'd searched the entire building for the woman, for some flash of a vision to hit her but…none did. So she'd fallen to her knees in that spot and moved to sit back, curling her legs up to her chest, resting her chin on her knees and her arms around her legs as she tried to think of what to do. She could hear that woman, Darcy she'd heard a man calling her, frantically searching as well, never quite in the same spot, she was quite good at avoiding loud people, but she hadn't found Jane either. She could tell the girl was worried…especially when she heard sirens starting only moments ago, the girl had called the police.

Wonderful.

She had JUST pushed herself to her feet, needing to try and get out of there without being seen when she felt something shift around her. There was a small sort of…popping noise, a swishing noise…and then a thump, like something had hit the ground, not hard, but soft enough to make a noise. She quickly made her way over, her stick coming in contact with something that hadn't been there before. She knelt down and felt out, reaching a hand. She felt it, finding a device in it and let out a breath.

"Jane?" she called, moving her hand more up the woman's arm, to her elbow and shaking her, "Jane."

She heard the woman groan as she slowly woke, "What…" the woman began to speak, before she cut off, the sound of the sirens louder, "Darcy!" she hissed, getting up and rushing off.

Kona shook her head and ran after her, stopping in a doorway though so as not to be discovered. She…was hesitant just being around that Jane woman. She knew the woman was associated with, or maybe had relations with, Thor and that automatically put her on edge. There was just something about that man that was more than fearful to her. She was naturally alarmed by him, by the mere thought of him. She was…scared of him.

It was like she knew he'd hurt her in the past, like she wouldn't be able to believe he wouldn't hurt her in the future either. And what proof did he give her to the contrary? He arrived on Earth and Loki was ripped away from her. That hurt, that hurt so badly. And it hurt worse to know that he wouldn't have lifted a finger to defend his own brother, that he doubted Loki, that he didn't believe her. She had felt it when she'd been trying to get that stupid scepter off of that Natasha woman…Thor wasn't going to help at all. He was going to stand there and let them take Loki if she hadn't broken that scepter.

He had hurt her in the past, he hurt her in the present by taking Loki away, and she knew he would hurt her in the future, that was the pattern wasn't it? And now that she knew that Jane woman knew him, was close to him…it just made her all the more wary of her, of anyone associated with her. Because she could tell from the woman's words just before…it had NOTHING to do with readings being unique but with the prospect of what they held.

It was why SHE was there too, for the hope of reuniting with the men they loved. Jane was there investigating the anomaly too, she wanted to be with Thor as much as (though she doubted anyone could want to be with another as much as) she did Loki. And this was probably their only chance. It wasn't the readings, it was the hope of seeing Thor once more. She'd heard it in Jane's voice, the hope…the love.

Jane loved Thor and she knew from how SHE felt about Loki that Jane would take Thor's side no matter what. Whatever Thor did Jane would forgive him and she would support him. And anyone like that made her cautious, because that meant she couldn't trust Jane either. She could guess what Jane knew of the events of the past (probably more than she herself knew) but she also felt like…Jane wouldn't know the truth, THOR hadn't even known the truth from what she'd gleamed off of Loki.

Jane, the moment she found out that she was Loki's…would not trust her, she'd refuse to help her, and she would be left to her own attempts to see him again as well. She'd probably even be slapped for the role Jane likely thought she'd played in it all.

"Darcy!" she looked in the direction of outside when she heard Jane shout, and frowned…it should have been muffled by the rain she could hear feeling but…it was like there was no rain falling just ahead of her. She held out her hand, but felt nothing, she doubted there was some sort of awning or outcropping above her or she would have heard the rain splattering on that…it was just…like the rain stopped falling above them, like it fell but just never reached them.

"Jane!" the girl, Darcy, gasped and she could hear the girl rush over to Jane, "Where the hell were you?"

"Tell me you didn't call the police!"

"What was I supposed to do?"

"Not call the police!"

"I was freaking out!"

"You call the cops, they call the feds, the next thing you know we have SHIELD crawling all over Area 51ing the place…"

Kona let out a breath at that, at least now she knew, without a doubt, that this WAS Jane Foster, that was the only way Coulson would know about her and Jane would know about him. And it alarmed her quite a bit because…SHIELD DID know about it, or at least Coulson did. She honestly wasn't sure if Coulson himself had located the anomaly, or one of his agents had, and he merely hadn't told the higher ups about it, or if SHIELD was just waiting to see what would come of it.

The first was FAR more likely, SHIELD would have been swarming the place if they knew about it and…she knew that Coulson had been there when Thor had first been on Earth, he had access to the readings. If similar ones popped up, he would know it either had to do with Thor or Loki and…it seemed he was trying to give her the chance to get back to her home (or give Jane the time to stop the anomaly) before he was forced to tell the managers about it. She would have to remember to ask him which it was and thank him if it was the former.

"Jane!" Darcy tried to cut in.

But Jane was far beyond annoyed at the moment, "We had a stable gravitational anomaly, we had unheeded access. Our only competition was ten years old!"

Kona sighed, she knew what that was. It wasn't irritation at Darcy for calling the cops, for an anomaly of such a magnitude being pulled away from her…it was her seeing that her one chance to be with the man she loved was nearly compromised. She was…actually a bit cross with the girl as well. If the cops came in, if SHIELD was alerted to this…it would mean none of them would be allowed near the anomaly again. SHE would be forbidden to go near it as well if they caught her there.

"Jane you were gone for five hours!" Darcy finally managed to get in.

"What?" Jane breathed, sounding truly alarmed…

She couldn't see what was happening but she could hear Jane shifting, as though she were looking around and guessed that perhaps she'd noticed the falling rain…or lack of it that seemed to be happening just around Jane. She could make out the rain hitting the ground in other areas, it was like there was a circle around Jane, protecting her from the rain.

"That's weird…" Jane began, before she heard the woman trail off and gasp. She frowned not sure what was going on or why Jane had stopped but then she'd heard the girl move, walking away from Darcy, closer to her, closer to the alley she knew was beside the building.

She slowly crept out from the building, not even wincing as the rain began to fall upon her once more as she followed the sound of the rain not hitting the ground to the corner of the alley. She turned and pressed herself against it, her back to it as she listened, not willing to stick her head around it and risk being seen by someone else (for clearly Jane HAD to have seen something to distract her so) when she couldn't see them herself. She listened, straining her ears through the sound of the rain for any hint of what it could be…and then she got it.

"Jane."

She froze, her heart stopping in her chest as she felt like the rain that had been pouring had suddenly turned bitterly cold, her mouth dropping open as her eyes widened at the familiar voice. And not a good voice. She swallowed hard, before closing her eyes, trying to press herself more against the wall behind her, because now she knew what had captured Jane's attention, something she SHOULD have guessed at as there was only one thing that would have been able to hold her own attention in such conditions and pull her away from the hope of finding Loki again…if Loki had been standing in front of her already.

And that voice…she knew it now.

Thor had returned to Earth.

A/N: We're getting VERY close to the return ^-^ I wanted to take a chapter to look at what Kona was doing on Earth at the time Loki was left in chains. Lol, did you like the little nod to Coulson and his Agents? ;) Can anyone guess who 'Freda' is? ;)

Some notes on reviews...

We'll have to wait and see about the ending and when/if Kona's memories come back ;) As for Tatty bye...Ken Dodd? :)

Lol, I don't think it's bad, we'll be seeing more of Odin and his thoughts/reasons for reacting the way he is later ;)

I think Odin will be stun by betrayal yup, but Kona might just have something to say about that, in relation to Thor and some other 'betrayals' the House of Odin endured ;) I can't say about Frigga though, we'll have to wait and see }:) Yup, this story will be 10 chapters long :)

Lol, Loki definitely doesn't need enemies with Odin acting like that :( I can say there'll be a little twist about who the 'king' is, I noticed something particular about the King at the end that doesn't appear with the King at the start of the movie that will be mentioned and explained later ;)

Oh Kona will definitely slap Thor ;)

That's an awesome song, I think it definitely fits the story very well :)


	3. A Return to Asgard

A Return to Asgard

Kona let out a breath at the sound of Thor's voice, a breath that was quite the opposite of what it would have been had it been Loki to speak instead. She…wasn't sure what she'd been hoping would happen when Coulson had first called her about the anomaly. Logically she KNEW it couldn't be Loki, the last she'd seen of him (something that broke her heart to know) was that he was locked away in prison. She knew, she could just tell by the severe look on that old man…Odin…she vaguely recalled…or guessed from her research, that there would be no chances taken in securing Loki this time. He had managed to slip out of chains that had bound him before…no one would chance it again.

She knew it couldn't be Loki, and she knew that, given what everyone believed of him, or likely believed of him at that point, that no one would have come to reclaim her on his request. She…also got the feeling that the anomaly was really just that…a random event and NOT something that had been planned out. But THOR was there, he had come and…now she was left to wonder why she wasn't striding forward and demanding that he take her back to Asgard.

She took a breath, she KNEW why. Partly it was because she was scared of him, of what he'd do, of why he was there. Had he come to investigate the anomaly and been surprised to find Jane (and her) there? Had he come for Jane and only Jane and would be less happy to see HER? Had…had he come to find HER on Loki's request, finally listening and starting to trust in his brother again? Was he there to seize her and drag her to a sort of trial or something? Or…or had Odin ordered her execution now that Loki was imprisoned?

She swallowed hard at that last thought and shook her head, no…no it wasn't her execution. The dream of Loki had been from years ago…why would it take them years to come after her? Well…she vaguely remembered a hint of a dream she'd had once, of a rainbow colored bridge being destroyed, of an observatory-like structure falling into waters…if THAT was how they travelled between Realms then it made sense if they had to repair it. But they'd managed to come there for Loki in the past, had managed to come and go. And…if they had been after the criminals for a trial or execution…she would have been taken then wouldn't she? She wouldn't have just been knocked out and left on Earth once more? They wouldn't be after her now for a crime they could have punished her for ages ago…right?

She shook her head, her fear of Thor was only part of the reason…the other part was…she'd wanted it to be Loki. She had wanted HIM to be the one that took her back. She knew, had guessed, his reasons for coming to Earth the last time had been for her, to get back to her, to get her back. His entire time on Earth had revolved around her, whether it was keeping her safe or keeping her near or helping her, everything he'd done had been for her…she didn't doubt the point of his arrival had been to rescue her then. But it had been thwarted. And he'd been captured, she'd been left alone on Earth once more.

She opened her eyes, was she really going to just…stand there? Stand there and let this one opportunity pass by? Just because it was Thor…it shouldn't hold her back from at least attempting to get him to bring her back to Asgard. He could refuse, he could be there for no reason that involved her and that was fine but…she had to TRY. She had to try to convince him to bring her back because…

She couldn't do this anymore. She couldn't stand to be on Earth. Every single day was torture for her. To walk around with her red and white stick and KNOW that she hadn't needed it before she'd forgotten. To be in such a noisy place, with cars and rude people and pollution that made her ill and made her head hurt terribly. To feel so…displaced and to feel constantly like one didn't belong was tedious and trying and it was starting to get to her. She rarely smiled anymore, she barely laughed, she just…was so tired all the time. She felt like she didn't belong and it was slowly killing her she knew. To be aware of where she'd come from, to know it still existed, to know that it was her home, to know it had Loki there…and be kept away. Her heart hurt all the time and she just…she couldn't stay on Earth any longer, she just…she missed her home, she missed Loki and she just…wanted them back, she wanted to see him again.

It had been one thing to think Loki a dream, to think him a phantom of a memory, something that didn't exist, something she had just made up. That place, Asgard, Loki, all her dreams in the year before he'd come to Earth to find her…it had been easier to bear. To think that it was her imagination, to think he wasn't real and just…the man of her dreams. It hadn't hurt so much to wake up and go to about her day and have him not be there, because he wouldn't have been, because he didn't exist. But now…to have had him back, to have been in his arms and felt him beside her, holding her and protecting her, to hear him speak and kiss her and…to know he was real and be separated from him again…

It broke her heart.

She missed him terribly. It was torture to wake up and realize he wasn't there, to go through her day and know he wouldn't randomly appear and speak to her. To return to her apartment and know he wouldn't stop by later or come visit. To have been in his arms, real and solid, to have felt his love for her and his voice…to be away from that and forced not to have it anymore. It hurt, SO much.

Her head jerked to the side, cutting her thoughts off, when the sound of a sharp slap reached her. She frowned, a bit confused as to what that could have been when she heard Jane gasp.

"Sorry," the woman spoke, "I just needed to make sure you were real…"

She let out a small laugh at that, what she wouldn't give to be able to slap the man as well but…if he was her only chance to get back to Loki…she would have to wait till she'd at least made it to Asgard before she attacked him for what he'd done to her, to Loki. Oh she was determined to slap him soundly for everything. No matter how scared she might be of him…she was going to make sure the man got at least one slap out of her…before she fled the room in terror but she'd do it. She swore it, she would.

"It's been a very strange day," Jane added.

"Well I am," Thor began, "Jane..."

Kona felt herself smile a bit when she heard a second slap resound, one thing could be said, Jane was quite a match for Thor and…to hear the woman slapping him and him NOT attacking her back (she didn't know why she got the feeling that just a short while ago Thor would have attacked anything that had dared lay a hand on the Son of Odin) made her feel that…maybe he wouldn't attack HER if she were to slap him as well. She briefly got a flash of him fighting with a woman with black hair, like a…spar…of sorts, of him knocking her down, of him fighting the woman but…always careful not to truly harm her while still fighting to the best of his ability. He didn't strike her as the sort to just attack women but…in the same breath she felt a flash of an image, of him on a throne with a line of blue men and women and children in chains before him as they were executed. She didn't know which was true, if they both were, if perhaps he was just more gentle with those he deemed friend than enemy.

And if that were so…did he still deem HER an enemy? She had proven to him last time that all that he'd thought about Loki was false, that his brother was still his brother, she had shown him that everything he thought he knew was wrong…surely that had to make her an alley or at least less of an enemy.

"Where were you?!" Jane demanded.

"Where were _you_?" Thor countered, "Heimdall could not see you…"

Kona frowned at that name, Heimdall…it was familiar, not quite as familiar as Loki or Thor or a few other names but…she shivered and tensed at it, feeling like she was being watched. It was…far too familiar and uneasy a feeling and she knew it had to mean that Heimdall, whoever he was, was a guard of some sort, perhaps one that had watched her or something. She didn't like that, the thought of being watched, it reminded her FAR too much of Coulson and SHIELD. How he always seemed to know where she was when she deviated from her normal routine and just popped up.

"I was right here where you left me," Jane spoke again, a bit of a bite in her words, "I was waiting and then I was crying and then I went out looking for you. You said you were coming back."

Kona let out a soft breath and shook her head, if Jane was THAT angry about Thor leaving HER…she wondered if the woman might be as angry to find out that Thor had caused someone else to be separated from the man they loved as well. To be the one to choose not to be around someone was one thing, to be a cause for others to have NO choice in it and force the same fate was quite another.

"I know," Thor sighed, sounding quiet repentant about it, "I know, but the Bifrost was destroyed, the Nine Realms erupted into chaos. Wars were raging, marauders were pillaging…I had to put an end to the slaughter."

Kona frowned at that, had it truly been THAT bad? She could remember a gleaming world, she could remember peace. She felt like…like Loki had been working towards peace, had succeeded in achieving it…and then it all fell apart. She couldn't help but feel like Thor had a hand in that. That it was Thor's fault that the worlds fell into disarray. She was starting to understand more and more of her dreams, piecing things together. It wasn't like she truly remembered anything, it was more she remembered what she dreamed, remembered it as though she were someone standing there actually able to watch it happen instead of being in that moment and sensing/hearing it around her.

But she gathered that the peace had been achieved or that it was on the cusp of being achieved, by Loki, by her…and then something had happened. Thor…he had taken her away, cast her out, and…it had sent Loki into a fury, he had been desperate to prove that he was not a traitor and it had led to a battle between brothers, had led to the Bifrost being destroyed and Loki being lost. If Thor had just LISTENED, if he'd waited and heard them out then none of that would have happened. The Bifrost wouldn't have needed to be destroyed because Loki would never have reacted to her being banished if she hadn't been. The peace would have lasted.

It was by Thor's actions that the wars had erupted, doing what he had had led to a chain of events that led to that chaos.

She wondered briefly if Thor even realized the extent of his actions? How far reaching a single decision a king made could go. His decision to banish HER had led to the wars and the destruction in the Nine Realms. One small act that he probably deemed necessary and by the laws had led to the things that kept him from the woman he loved all those years. She truly wished that she had her memories back, so she could see for sure if she was right, if what she thought happened on Asgard HAD happened, and the second she found that out, she was determined to point it out to Thor, to show him how his actions had affected everyone.

"As excuses go that's not terrible," Jane was able to concede, "But I saw you on TV, you were...you were in New York!"

"Jane…I fought to protect you from the dangers of my world," Thor tried to explain, "But...I was wrong…"

Kona tensed, listening as he spoke.

"I made a mistake. What I thought was so…was nothing of the sort and now…I've been tasked with returning something lost to Asgard."

Kona let out a breath, feeling her heart starting to race, hoping beyond hope that Thor was talking about her. As far as she knew, from what she could gleam of Coulson and things he let slip, there hadn't been anything of value on Earth from Asgard since Thor and Loki had left. The only thing still there…was her.

"So…" Jane spoke quietly, sounding hurt, "You…didn't come back for me?"

"I did," Thor answered quickly, "I was always going to return for you the moment I could," he whispered, "And now…I have been given _permission _to come."

Kona rolled her eyes at that, but she felt…relieved that Thor was taking rules and laws and orders into consideration. She felt like that wasn't something he had always done and the fact that he was doing so now…actually getting Odin's permission and blessing to do something (even if he was adding to Odin's orders) was a relief.

"I was a fool Jane," Thor continued, Kona scoffing under her breath at that that it had taken him THIS long to admit that and realize that, "But I believe that fate gave us this chance to bring us together. Jane I don't know where you were or what happened but I do know this…"

"What?" Jane breathed.

Kona frowned, listening to them.

"I know..." Thor trailed off.

Oh dear gods, they were about to kiss weren't they?

"You do?" Jane murmured.

"Do what?"

"What?"

NO!

Kona strode around the corner, "Thor!" she shouted, hearing a scuffle as they jumped, likely away from each other.

She was NOT about to let that happen. She was NOT going to let the two kiss. She didn't care if it was vindictive or mean or anything. But…why should THEY be allowed to be together, to be happy and in each other's arms when she and Loki were forced to be apart. Why should Jane get her kiss with her Asgardian, when SHE was still parted from her Asgardian so much so that he was STILL on another world. Thor was THERE, Loki wasn't. Jane could speak to Thor and touch him and hear him and…see him. And she was still there, forgotten and alone and Loki was locked away.

She was sure she might feel badly about interrupting later, but right now…all she could think about was that it wasn't fair. Had Jane been left on a different Realm? No. Did Jane have her memory erased? No. Had Jane been with the man she loved a second time and had him torn away again? No! Of the two women in love with Asgardians, SHE had been the one to lose more than Jane.

Jane blinked and looked over at the blind, blonde woman angrily making her way towards them and frowned at how she knew Thor. She looked at the man in question, frowning when she saw that he was staring at Kona with a mixture of guilt, shock, and recognition.

"Kona," Thor greeted.

"What?" Jane shook her head, completely confused. She recognized the woman from inside the warehouse but she had NO idea that Thor did as well, that he knew her or that she knew him.

Kona came up to them, stopping a few feet before them but looking up when she felt the rain suddenly stop above her before turning her gaze in their direction. She swallowed hard, realizing she had no idea what to say next, how to phrase it, how to hold herself, "You were sent here for something lost?" was all she could think of.

"Yes," he nodded, though she couldn't see it, "I was given my father's permission to return you to Asgard."

Jane's eyes widened as she looked at the girl, she was…NOT what she thought an Asgardian would be. She was, quite clearly, blind and she would have thought that, with all the magic Thor claimed they used in Asgard that she'd have been healed of it…unless it happened on Earth? She didn't know but she just…she wasn't getting a sort of immortal Norse goddess vibe off of her, she looked…nothing like Sif actually. She wasn't wearing armor or holding a weapon, she wasn't even wearing clothes she thought an Asgardian would wear. She pictured them in rather formal dresses and things like…a medieval princess but not medieval. The girl before her was just wearing a baggy sweatshirt and pants, something she had barely seen THOR in when he'd been on…Earth…

"Was she banished like you?" Jane looked at Thor, noting that he had stiffened at the question.

"Yes," he answered, tense, "Yes…she was banished."

"No," Kona cut in, feeling her fear falling away in place of anger, anger at how he was trying to cover up the cause of her banishment, the reason for it, "THOR was the one who banished me."

"What?!" Jane stared at him, startled at that. She had seen how he'd been when he'd been on Earth during his own exile, she'd seen how he'd reacted, how hard it had been for him, how he had felt so terribly for it to have happened to him…and now she found out HE had banished someone else? He had dealt out the same punishment that he himself had loathed to suffer? "Why?" was all she could ask.

"The mistake I mentioned," Thor cut in, seeing Kona about to open her mouth and KNOWING that he needed her to realize that he believed her again.

He didn't know how she'd react to the fact that he was bringing her back to Asgard. He hoped she would be willing to go but the truth was…by the end of his exile, if he'd had the choice he likely would have picked staying on Earth with Jane. If he had not been reminded of his duties as a future king, if the Bifrost hadn't been destroyed, he would have chosen Jane. He…honestly didn't know what Kona's life might be like while on Earth, he had asked Heimdall to watch her, to keep an eye on her but…it had startled the man to realize he couldn't see Kona. It was as though the smoke she sometimes was able to hide herself with on Asgard to sneak about had carried over into Earth, she was invisible to Heimdall's gaze. He had no idea if she might have found another love in the last two years, like he had with Jane, if she might choose Earth instead, but…given how she was THERE…he hoped it meant she wanted to go back.

Kona looked in his direction at the word 'mistake,' able to hear the emphasis in it and refused to let herself hope that it was Thor openly admitting that he was wrong, that he'd been wrong about her and Loki. She couldn't get her hopes up because…she didn't trust Thor, at all, she couldn't trust that this wasn't just some sort of trick to get her to go willingly to an execution.

"I am here to rectify it," he told both women, looking more at Kona, "I…made a decision, as King of Asgard, with limited facts, facts I now…am less certain of," he took a breath, "Kona, I have been tasked with returning you to Asgard to…"

"Be executed?" Kona cut in, needing to know that was NOT the case before another word was spoken.

"To give your account of the events of that led to your banishment and Loki's actions," Thor answered, "I…wish to know everything, as I should have done before I banished you. I apologize Kona, for sending you to Earth without the proper trial given."

Kona stared in his direction a long while, "There has only ever been one apology I've wanted from you Thor," she told him, knowing in her heart (even without her memories to back it up) that the man hadn't ever apologized for her blinding, "That is NOT it," she took a breath, "Regardless of your apology, whether heartfelt or a manipulation, I WILL go to Asgard with you," she fell quiet again, "I miss him. And I need to be with him again."

Jane frowned and eyed her, not quite sure what other apology Thor apparently owed her or who the woman was talking about but…it appeared she had left someone in Asgard upon her banishment that she had been missing terribly. She could understand that and…she was less upset about Thor's main reason for being there being Kona and not her, she was less upset about the woman interrupting her. It…wasn't fair for HER to have Thor back while the girl was banished away from the man she loved.

She didn't blame her for interrupting, especially if this was her chance to return home.

"Hey!" another voice spoke and Jane looked over to see Darcy jogging up, "Is that you?" and then the girl looked at Kona, "Who are you?"

"Kona," Kona answered.

Darcy nodded, waiting a moment for a last name before asking, "Another Asgardian?"

Kona gave a sad smile, "I was."

"And you're…not now?" Darcy gave her an odd look, not even seeming to notice or care the girl was blind.

"Thor would be a better person to answer that," Kona said, a bitter note in her voice.

"What's she talking about?" Jane looked at him, knowing there was a better chance of him answering her than Darcy.

Thor sighed, sensing that Kona, despite his apology, was not going to let this go, she hadn't exactly…accepted his apology either and he doubted she would until her memories were restored and Loki was freed, but he knew she would eventually, and then…then he really had something serious to apologize for. He…didn't want to give her that particular apology right then, not when it wasn't HER, not when she couldn't even remember the event, no. He wanted to apologize to the true Kona, with all her memories intact.

"Upon banishment," Thor began slowly, "A true banishment by the king, to the fullest of the punishment…an Asgardian loses their title, their immortality, and their memories."

"Oh my god," Jane breathed, looking at Kona, horrified, "That's terrible."

"I was…lucky," Thor continued, "My father merely banished me without my title and immortality, my memories remained intact."

"Did they," Darcy let out a small laugh, recalling how arrogant and angry Thor had been at first, how he'd talked and held himself.

"I was NOT so lucky," Kona muttered.

Jane shook her head and turned to Thor once more, "What could she have possibly done that was so terrible that you'd do that?"

"Um, actually," Darcy cut in, "If that could wait a minute," she pointed at the cops glaring at them, "I'm pretty sure we ARE getting arrested."

Jane sighed, "Hold that thought," she told them, before rushing off to talk to the police.

Darcy waited a moment, looking around as the rain started to fall, glancing at Kona and then to Thor, "Look at you!" she laughed, poking him in the stomach, "Still all muscley and everything. How's space?"

"Space is fine," he answered.

"Excuse me?" Kona turned, hearing Jane approaching one of the police.

"Are you Jane Foster?" a man asked her.

"Yes."

"Do you know this man?" the man continued and Kona knew it had to be the young man the cabbie had told her was with Jane when she'd gotten him to follow them to the warehouse.

"He's my intern. My intern's intern."

"This is private property and you're trespassing, the lot of you…"

Kona started to frown, looking down, before she closed her eyes and put a hand to her temple, her face scrunching in pain.

"Kona?" Thor eyed her, he had seen that look once or twice when Kona had been very young, when she hadn't quite had control of her sight and the visions snuck up on her. Sometimes when she wasn't prepared they would come so quickly that it hurt her a bit, "What do you see?"

"Um…dude, she's blind," Darcy whispered to him, as though he hadn't known that.

"I am aware," Thor nodded, "Kona is…" he sighed, "WAS a seer for my father."

Darcy's eyes widened, "She can see the future?"

"Yes…" Thor watched Kona intently, "Kona what do you see?"

Kona winced, a flash of light in her mind showing her a man reaching for Jane, a flash of red as everything was thrown away from her by a gust…

"You'll have to come with me…" she heard the police man speak, the words she'd heard in her head.

"No!" she shouted, rushing away from Thor towards Jane, "Don't touch her!"

But it was too late, the man reached out and grabbed Jane's shoulder, a flash of red going off as an energy wave shot out of Jane, blasting all those around her away from her, into cars, into objects, shattering glass…

Thor grabbed Kona and pulled her back, turning to shield her from the blast for only a moment before he ran towards Jane as the woman collapsed to the ground, "Jane!" he dropped to his knees beside her, gently waking her, "Jane?"

"Thor…" Jane breathed, startled and confused as she woke.

"You alright?"

"What just happened?" she winced as he helped her to her feet, Kona slowly walking over to them, her expression frowning as she looked in Jane's direction.

That red flash…she'd dreamed of it. It wasn't just what she saw in the warehouse, no…she'd had a dream of it as well, only a few days ago, of…pale creatures and a red substance and…a battle…

"Place your hands on your head!" the police man ordered, drawing his gun, Thor pulling Kona and Jane behind him to protect them, "Step back!"

"The woman is unwell," Thor tried to defend Jane.

"She's dangerous!" the man countered.

And Thor stiffened, rising to his full height, sensing a threat in that, "So am I."

The officer's eyes widened as he grabbed a small radio on his shoulder, "Requesting armed response officers to the scene…"

Thor frowned at that and turned to the girls, "Hold on to me," he ordered.

Jane immediately latched on, her arms around his middle, with a inquiry of "What are you doing?"

Kona though, was a bit slower to trust, choosing instead to cautiously grab his arm…

When suddenly the Bifrost opened and they were encircled with a bright light that sucked them off the ground and up into the air. Kona squeezed her eyes shut tight, not caring that she couldn't' see regardless but just…the sounds around her, the hissing air, the disorientation…it was bringing up terrible nightmares, the nightmares she'd had her first few months on Earth…but in the reverse. Instead of falling up with someone there, she had been falling down alone…

She stumbled as they came to a sudden stop, as though suddenly on hard land, on a floor as the light dimmed and the rushing stopped.

"We have to do that again," Jane breathed, thrilled.

"I'd rather NEVER," Kona murmured, shaking, that was…that was TOO much, too much for her.

But then she heard Jane stop moving and someone else turning and realized they weren't alone, "Hi," Jane began, hesitant now.

"Welcome to Asgard," a deep voice greeted.

Kona froze at the sound of it, she recognized it but she just…couldn't place it.

And then…another voice spoke, "I was wondering if you would bring them both," the voice was gentle, feminine and familiar, warm and…comforting, "Or if you would truly obey Odin's orders and return Kona to us."

"Mother," Thor greeted, looking at his mother, the Queen Frigga standing there, smiling gently at both Jane and Kona.

"That's your mom?" Jane asked, staring at Frigga in awe.

"Fre…" Kona swallowed, trying to remember, "Frigga?" she whispered, unsure if that was right.

Frigga gave her a small, sad smile as she nodded, tears in her eyes to see Kona, the little girl who had…almost been like a daughter to her, who had almost been her daughter, who she had treated like one the moment Loki asked for permission to court her, reduced to that…to see her standing there so lost and confused when she was HOME once more. It broke her heart, "Yes," she whispered.

"I um…" Kona shrugged, not knowing what to say, "I named my cat after you."

She hadn't been able to place a right name for 'Freda' but…now, being confronted with that voice, she knew the name the kitten should have been, 'Frigga.'

Frigga gave an amused look at her before walking over, taking her arm, trying her hardest to ignore the flinch that Kona gave at the motion, "Thor, take Jane to the Healers," she instructed, "I shall care for Kona and see to it that she is prepared."

"Yes mother," Thor agreed and Kona could hear him leaving with Jane, before Frigga tugged her arm.

"Come with me," the woman whispered, leading her on.

Kona tried to remember to breath as she felt herself being led out of the room, knowing she was on that rainbow colored bridge and heading for the palace of Asgard. She hated being led places, and now…she was even more tense.

She had no idea what she was walking towards, and that scared her.

A/N: Kona's back! Yay! And it seems Frigga is glad to see her :) I wonder where she'll be taking Kona, what they'll discuss...hmmm... }:)

Some notes on reviews...

Lol, cool :) I haven't seen Fable 2 or 3 lol, I'll have to check it out ;) Kona will definitely see Loki very soon :)

Good guesses! You're right, it was Frigga ;)

Thanks :) I wanted to try and challenge myself to write the story as close to the movie as I could but show how different inflections and interpreting a scene/line in a new way changes the intention :) Sort of like just seeing it from a new perspective so it's great to know I'm managing :)

Yup, Jane will DEFINITELY find out what Thor did to Kona, but it may not be for a while and her reaction will be...a bit of both, shock and denial and sadness among other things ;) But she knows that he banished her, she has yet to find out why though }:) I can say Thor will definitely apologize for it, but whether or not Kona will accept after everything else he's done...that'll be another story :) I think Frigga will believe her, I think she WANTS to believe Loki but just needs that one other person to tell her what he tried to tell her :) I can say that Kona will visit Loki VERY soon ;) And Odin will...slowly come around ;)

Lol, I tried to think of an L name, like when you have a pet named John and find out it's a girl so it becomes Joan lol. But I think Kona would have still known it was meant to be Loki so she went with a new name :)

Thor definitely brought her back, but...it may not be Thor that takes her to Odin ;)


	4. Home

Home

"Don't be alarmed," Frigga spoke as she and Kona walked through the halls of the palace, heading…somewhere Kona wasn't sure where. She was sure a throne room or wherever the King was wasn't meant to take ages to get to and it felt like they'd been walking forever…

And they kept passing people. She could hear them walking around her, she could hear them speaking and laughing and jesting and then suddenly fall silent, likely catching sight of her. She knew it had nothing to do with her attire, the meager clothes she'd been able to find on Earth, she knew it wasn't that…it was the fact that SHE was back, that she…a supposed Traitor to the House of Odin…had been returned. What's more it was probably because Frigga was walking beside her, her arm linked through her own.

"You are under my protection," Frigga continued, "None of them shall harm you."

"Where are we going?" she asked, turning her head in Frigga's direction slightly.

"We…_I_ must speak to you. I need to know if there is anything, anything at all, that you remember from…before…"

"Before Thor banished me to Earth?" Kona supplied, "I am sorry, ma'am, but I don't remember anything."

Frigga frowned, she'd been hopeful that, as a seer, Kona might have been able to glimpse more than a typical Asgardian suffering the punishment of stolen memories, "Nothing at all?"

"No," she agreed, "Just…vague sensations, snippets of images. I can only tell you what I believe and that…can't qualify as what actually happened."

Frigga nodded at that, she should have expected it. Sensations and snippets were far more than any other Asgardian had managed to retain upon such a banishment. She paused as they reached a set of doors and glanced at Kona a moment before letting go of her arm to open them.

Kona frowned as she heard a door pushed open, it was…too silent on the other side for her to have been led to the throne room she knew. That hall she felt would sound hollow and like an echo, dead or some other such sound. No…this room was just…empty. There was no one there she could hear or smell it was just her and Frigga that had stepped into it. She frowned, walking forward, her hands out before her, her walking stick had been left on Earth from the shock of the Bifrost departure. She was completely without any sort of guidance and she doubted that any Asgardian, not even Frigga, would give her a stick of some sort to 'attack' with. And so she was left to stumble away from Frigga…and walked right into a sort of couch thing, like a reclining bed with a back to it. She ran her hands up and down the back of it, trying to find her way around it to continue to try and work out where she was.

Frigga smiled sadly as she watched the girl stumble and walking into things, tears in her eyes to see Kona like that. It was her room, it was the room Kona had lived in most of her life, ever since she'd become a seer. And there she was, walking into things in a way she hadn't seen the girl do since she'd first been given the room. It broke her heart to watch. When she had found out what Thor had done, that he'd banished her, she'd thought that she could talk Odin around to returning her. But when Thor had added that he'd used his right as king to strip her memories…she knew hope was lost of being able to influence the king in such a way. For Thor to have done _that_ to the girl, well…it was not a punishment to be given lightly and was one that represented one of the worse betrayals. To Odin, Thor doing that meant that he had found unshakable evidence that the girl was a traitor and had acted in the safety of Asgard by doing so. She would NEVER be able to convince him of Kona's innocence because of it.

No, only Thor would be able to do that.

And apparently he had, or he'd been able to cast enough doubt that Odin brought the girl back to determine the truth. Even if it meant she might be banished once more and…and her memories stripped yet again, of all that had happened up to that point, at least she had a chance to explain hers and Loki's actions now. THAT had always concerned her, how little they knew about WHY Loki and Kona had done what they had. Oh the Warriors Three and Sif had insisted that Loki had wanted the throne, why else would he go to such extremes to ensure that Thor be banished? But she knew her son, she knew that all he desired wasn't a throne to sit upon…but the girl before her to be beside him. It hurt her terribly to know that…she HAD doubted them, for a brief time. She had considered that, perhaps, what the Warriors Three and Sif had said were true. She'd truly thought that they and Thor had to have had proof of their claims, that they knew, without a doubt, that the two had committed treason.

But talking with Thor had revealed that they had nothing of the sort. They had merely Loki's actions, his words, to go on. They had only taken what they knew of the situation and hadn't delved deeper to see the other side of things. THAT bothered her so much, to not know WHY Loki did it. He had asked her to trust in her son…and she had failed him by believing even for a moment that he had done what he had for the reason Thor and the others had believed. And it killed her to now that her belief in that was the final nail in the coffin in Odin's mind. For HER to have lost faith in Loki…it had to mean that Loki truly had committed the crimes he was accused of.

Talking with Thor, asking certain questions…it had seemed to get through to him as well that they truly didn't know everything that had happened. He had started to doubt as well and that, HIS doubt, was enough to make Odin consider revoking the banishment on Kona. And now she was back, the poor girl was back in a place that should be home to her, in a room that should be her sanctuary…and she looked lost as ever, she looked confused like she was trying to place the room. And she just couldn't bring herself to speak, to tell her where she was. It was a…glimmer of hope that Kona might find something in the room that might spark a memory or a sensation of one. She knew it was impossible for Kona's memories to return without the King reversing the removal of them, but…she hoped that Kona would at least appear more at ease.

She hadn't wanted to just throw the girl to the wolves and have her confront Odin having just come from the Bifrost. She could imagine it was a jarring experience, an alarming one, given the last time she'd been in it had been in her banishment. Odin would be irate as it was when he found out that Jane Foster had been brought along as well. She wanted to give both Odin time to calm down so as not to frighten Kona and give Kona a moment or two to try and acclimatize.

She watched intently as Kona felt her way around the room, she'd passed the bed, a desk, a harp, and now she'd found her bookshelf. She watched as the girl paused there, standing before it longer than she had any other object in the room, her hand trailing along the spines of the books before her eyes widened, as though surprised that the lettering was raised. She crouched down and began to trace them, gently, her finger just lightly brushing them as though she were not supposed to touch them. Frigga's small smile fell away at that, to see Kona so hesitant with the things that had been made JUST for her…

But she held back a gasp when Kona stopped at a single book, a look of…well she couldn't describe it, it appeared to be almost shock, but mixed with sorrow and familiarity. And then she saw which book it was as Kona gently pulled it out of the shelf…it was the first book Loki had had made for her, the first one she'd ever been able to start to read again. She knew Loki loved reading and reading to Kona, that he'd taught the girl to read, and when she'd been blinded Kona had cried for days because she thought it meant she'd never be able to read and discuss books with him again. He'd had those books made just for her, with the letting raised.

She watched as Kona stood up, her head bowed, the book clutched firmly to her chest as she made her way over to the small couch and sat down. Frigga stepped closer, watching over the back of it as Kona opened the book with shaking hands and traced her fingers along some of the letters. She stopped though when she got to the bottom of the page and closed her eyes, "This was from Loki...wasn't it?" she asked.

Frigga nodded behind her, before taking a breath, "Yes," she said aloud.

"I don't remember," she murmured, it was like she just KNEW some things, things she shouldn't, but she didn't know HOW she knew them, she didn't remember that event but yet she just knew about it, "I don't remember anything."

"I'm sorry," Frigga reached out to touch her shoulder, her heart breaking again when she felt Kona stiffen and tense under the touch, as though she didn't trust her…and why should she? As far as Kona knew, everyone in Asgard had probably thought Loki and her traitors to the house of Odin.

"Why did he do it?" she whispered.

"I don't know," Frigga told her, moving around the couch to sit beside her, "That is why you have been brought here. To explain to Odin what Loki…"

"Not Loki," Kona cut in, "Thor. Why did he do it? Why didn't he listen? It was supposed to make him better…"

Kona swallowed hard and closed her eyes, she'd had dreams of it, of Thor banishing her. It was odd to see, because she DID _see_ it, as though she had sight and was watching events from the side. Him standing before a control, a swirling and powerful vortex behind her, shouting at her, aiming a staff at her, firing at her. She had seen herself standing there, shouting back at him, begging him to listen, but he'd refused. His mind had been made up and her fate had been sealed.

Frigga frowned and looked at her, reaching out to take her hand, "What do you mean 'make him better?'"

Kona let out a breath, "I don't know," she admitted, she just…felt like something about what Loki and she had apparently done…no, ALL of it…had been FOR Thor. It had been done to help him, to better him, to help him grow. She didn't know why though, or how, or what they'd done exactly, "I can't remember."

"You will," Frigga squeezed her hand, trying to be encouraging, "Soon. Odin…he shall restore your memories and discover the truth."

"The truth should not have to be discovered NOW," Kona muttered, a bitter note to her voice that Frigga while disheartened to hear, had to agree with, "It should have been determined BEFORE a banishment was given. I should not have to have my memories, MY own memories, restored just to give an account of what happened. ALL of that should have been seen to before any sort of punishment was dealt."

"I know," Frigga whispered, feeling tears in her eyes at how…right…Kona was.

Thor, despite feeling he had all the knowledge about the situation and all the evidence there was…had acted rashly. He had gotten better since then, scores better, been calmer, thought things through, listened…she had a vague idea it was because of Loki and Kona and what happened to them, what he'd done to them, that had led to this much needed change in her one son. He was realizing the consequences of his actions and what that meant when he would be king, how he had to be patient and look at every angle of things. She knew he blamed himself for the attack on New York, Loki had been there for Kona he claimed, Kona was there because of HIM, Loki had fallen to the Chitauri control because HE hadn't listened to his brother and been able to save him from falling into the abyss.

As terrible as it was to think…Kona's banishment and Loki's loss had made Thor into a truly proper King and a man so much better than he had been before…her thoughts cut off suddenly as she looked at Kona sharply. The girl had just said that 'it was supposed to make him better' and…Thor WAS better, he'd come back from his banishment changed and mature and a truly worthy king…had…had THAT been their plan? Their reason for doing what they had? She tried not to get her hopes up about it, she didn't want to be wrong and…as much as it pained her to admit, there WAS a sliver of fear that she was entirely wrong about all of this and Loki HAD just wanted the throne and pulled Kona in with him.

"But you are home now and…"

"No," Kona suddenly pulled away from her and stood, stumbling back the book falling to the floor as she tried to step away from her more, "No…I'm not home. Not yet," she swallowed and looked around the room as though she could see it, or at least imagine what it looked like from her exploration of it. She took a breath and turned her gaze to Frigga, "I want to see Loki."

~8~

Loki stood in his cell, stiffly, staring out of the glass wall at another prisoner being led into yet another cell. His hands were behind his back, his back straight, his chin up as he watched them. Frigga frowned as she stood behind him in his cell, seeing how…closed off and solemn his expression was. This was…not her Loki, he was always smiling and laughing, playing tricks on others and causing mischief…he was not the sort to be so serious. It had only gotten worse, she knew, the longer he was in that cell. He rarely smiled, hardly joked, barely spoke. He didn't look at her when she would appear the way she did, and…there was just no light in his eyes anymore. It was like he'd resigned himself to this fate.

And what broke her heart was that he wore the expression and carried himself not as a typical prisoner. No, the others were all rowdy and trying to escape and being angry and throwing things and trying to bait each other. Loki was quiet and not a contemplative one, not a one where he was trying to think of a way out, no, she knew her son. If he had truly wanted to escape and set his mind to it, he would have worked it out ages ago and been free. She'd asked him only once why he didn't escape. He was a prince of Asgard, he KNEW those cells, every inch of the palace, better than anyone, why didn't he just…escape?

His answer was what had first caused her doubt that he had done the crimes he was accused of.

He'd said that if he escaped it would just prove him the villain they all thought him to be.

And she'd been shocked, to hear him say that, to hear that he was forcing himself to stay there in the hope of garnering some sort of trust once more. Odin should have been well aware that, of anyone, he and Thor would be able to break out of those prisons easily, and yet Loki remained. It was a plea for trust, that he COULD break out but that he was choosing NOT to. That he was accepting the punishment and he didn't seem GUILTY of it. He didn't seem as broken as the other prisoners who had been there so long guilt had set in. He seemed like he knew he was innocent and that was why he was so quiet. He didn't speak because no one would believe him anymore.

"Odin continues to bring me new friends," Loki murmured, his voice deeper than Frigga remembered, but with how little he spoke now she knew it was natural for it to be like that, that and raspy as it was, "How…thoughtful."

More friends just for him, more prisoners, more traitors, more criminals…and there HE was. Odin's son, left to rot among them as though he WERE one of them. He closed his eyes and swallowed hard, trying not to think of that, if he did…he might one day start to believe that he was one of them, that he HAD done what he had for the reasons everyone thought. It was hard to keep it straight in his head, why he was there. Only the thought of Kona truly made him remember what he'd done and why. SHE would not have supported him if he'd been doing it for terrible means.

Frigga took a step forward when she noticed something lying on a small table. A stack of books, in exactly the same place they'd been set down in. His cell was stark white, with only a sort of reclining bench with a back like Kona's a chair, some small desks…but the books were a gift from her. She frowned, seeing them entirely untouched, "The books I sent…do they not interest you?"

Loki glanced back at them and she could see the sorrow in his eyes increase tenfold, "Those are Kona's books," he mumbled, "Those are the books from her room."

"Yes," she nodded, "I thought you would enjoy them more than any others."

"Or perhaps you knew they would torture me than any others," he looked at her with a sad, broken smile, "For me to read them, knowing THOSE books I have to read out loud…to think I'm reading to her and look up and see her not there?" he shook his head, laughing sadly, "That would break me mother," he let out a breath, "Is that how I'm to while away eternity reading books that break my heart?"

Frigga looked sadly at the books, different books should be brought then, "Then…perhaps a different gift would be better?"

"What gift?" he sighed, "The only thing I want is the one I can never have now."

Frigga smiled, "Don't be too certain of that Loki," she looked to her side and an image flickered in…of Kona, still dressed in her grey sweatshirt and pants, but Kona!

"Is this a trick?" Loki breathed, staring at Kona as though afraid she were merely a magic trick his mother was playing on him.

"No," Frigga whispered as Kona looked around.

"Loki?" Kona asked.

"Kona," he smiled, stepping towards her, about to touch her outstretched hand when…

"She's just an image," his mother warned, knowing that to touch the hologram would be to disperse it, "If you touch her…"

"I know," he swallowed, but didn't take his eyes off of her, "Is it really you?" he looked at her, feeling his heart tighten in his chest at the thought she was back. There was NO way Frigga could have her appear while still on Earth…which meant she was in Asgard.

"Yeah," she nodded and he could see tears in her own eyes as she smiled, "I'm in Asgard. I'm here. I'm really here…"

"But why?" he looked at Frigga, "Odin hasn't brought her back to…" to execute her?

"No," Frigga reassured him, stepping closer, "Not at all. He…"

"They want me to give testimony," Kona cut in, pulling Loki's attention back, "About what happened."

His eyes widened, "They're going to return your memories?" he could hardly dare to believe it. Not only was she BACK in Asgard but her memories might be returned as well!? If that were true then…

Then it meant that someone besides Kona had to believe he was innocent. Someone was trying to clear his name and they had brought Kona back as well. It made sense, she was the only other person who knew the entirety of his plans, as a seer having pledged herself to obey Odin, she would be honor bound to tell the truth about the events. No one would dare refuse her word, no one would deny the truth and he…he would finally be free, he could finally be with her again, and they could leave Asgard as they planned. Perhaps THAT would show everyone, how willingly and easily he would leave the Realm, that he had NEVER wanted that stupid throne in the first place.

He winced a bit, there was…still a bit of the Chitauri's manipulations and torture in his mind. Once in a while he'd hear a hissing voice like the Chitauri leader who whispered that he HAD wanted the throne, that he deserved it, but he easily shook that one off. He much preferred Kona's voice in his head reminding him of all he'd done and WHY.

"It is the only way," Frigga reminded him, smiling lightly to see him so…hopeful, see him come so alive again.

"Oh this is a cruel torture mother," he remarked, his gaze locked on Kona, "To be so close and yet be unable to express my joy," he lifted a hand to Kona's face, a hairsbreadth away from touching the hologram but…needing to at least make it seem in his mind that he was touching her.

"It's no walk in the park for me either," Kona told him with a laugh, Frigga letting out a soft breath as she saw Kona turn her head as though knowing Loki's hand was there, seeming as though she were leaning into his touch, "You can at least see me…all I have is hearing you."

"Then hear this, my heart," he swallowed, his voice shaking from how overwhelmed he was at that moment.

The one source of hope in his life, the one bright spot in the darkness that had consumed him, the one comfort he had in his solitude, was back! He felt his entire body trembling to see her returned, his hope renewed that SHE would be back as well. He loved her, yes, he loved her with or without her memories but…the Kona that remembered…she was the one he'd shared so many memories with, she was the one he'd fallen in love with, and…he wanted her back, he wanted her to remember her, and now she was.

"Kona…" he continued, "I love you," he smiled, seeing her eyes widen as she looked at him, "I love you more than life itself, and I will do everything in my power to prove my love for you, no matter what, no matter what may try to come between us or separate us, I know in my heart we shall always be together."

"Loki…" she let out a shuddering breath, tears in her eyes, "I wish I could touch you," she lifted a hand, and he did the same, his mirroring hers but not touching her, "I love you too. And I know that you're innocent," she added, "I know that _they_ are wrong. I'll do everything I can to make them see that."

Frigga felt tears gather in her own eyes as she looked at her son. In the span of mere moments he'd just…come back to life. He was smiling and laughing and HAPPY again. And to a mother that meant the world to her. To see Kona's conviction, her firm belief that Loki was truly innocent…it cemented it for her, she knew now, without any sort of doubt at all, that her son WAS innocent. She felt horrid and wretched that she had believed even for a moment that he had not been the boy she'd raised, with Asgard in his heart, with love for the people in it in mind, and with the best hopes for the future in his soul. She was going to do whatever she could to make up for that, to help her husband realize how wrong they had all been.

Loki, she knew, was lucky to have Kona at his side, the girl…was truly able to see more than all of them could.

"Thank you," Loki whispered, unable to help himself as he leaned in, his lips brushing air though he knew Kona's lips had just been there. He pulled way, nodding to himself that he should have expected that, when Kona disappeared, fading from his sight.

"Loki…" Frigga called and he looked at her, after a moment or two of continued staring at the spoke Kona had been in, "I am so sorry…I am so very sorry that I doubted you even for a moment."

"Has Kona helped you see the truth?" he asked, and she could see a small joking smile on his face, his expression so much lighter than it had been only moments ago.

"She has," she nodded, "She's always been able to do that, make one see the truth, hasn't she?"

"I wonder," he looked back at where Kona had been standing, "Will Odin share your belief as well? After he speaks to her? Will Thor?"

"Loki…Thor was the one to convince your father to return her," Frigga told him, making him look at her in shock, "He is your brother Loki," she repeated words she'd said so long ago, "And we your family."

His smile turned sad, "I doubt Odin sees it that way anymore. Remember, my birthright was to die."

She looked at him equally as sad, all he had ever wanted was Odin's acceptance and approval, Odin's words all those years ago were terrible. She and Thor had been outside the throne room but it didn't mean they couldn't hear what was being said, "He believes that your actions are what he thinks…"

"My actions?" he smiled ruefully, "I was merely giving truth to the lie that I've been fed my entire life, over and over, the lie that I was born to be a king?" he looked at her, "I never wanted the throne mother. Do you think father will realize the truth in his own lie?"

Odin had told them both that so often growing up…he could almost understand why his father would believe that he desired a throne. He'd raised one son to believe he was the rightful king of Asgard and above the rules, until banishment made them both realize Thor wasn't ready for the throne. Why would he believe anything different about his second son? Why would he believe that he hadn't raised Loki the same way? To want the throne? Odin seemed to fail to realize that the only thing he wanted…was Kona.

"A true king admits his faults," Loki eyed her, "Doesn't he?"

"Your father is…stubborn," Frigga admitted, "And he is hurt by this betrayal he believes happened. You must understand Loki, for a father to think his son…"

"But that's just it, isn't it?" Loki whispered, "He's not my father, and I am not his son."

Frigga was silent a long while before she spoke, a small crack in her voice as she asked the question whose answer...truly frightened her, "Then am I not your mother?"

Loki just looked at her, a small smile on his face, "You misunderstood," he reached out for her, "He is not my father, and I am not his son…because I…am YOUR son," he moved as though to take her hand but hesitated, not wanting to break the hologram just yet, "YOU will always be my mother."

Frigga smiled, tears in her eyes, "Always so perceptive about everything."

"My love is a seer," he shrugged, "I see more than most because of her," he swallowed hard, "Please…keep her safe," he begged her quietly, "Odin…will not…he might…"

Frigga reached up as though to touch his cheek, "She is under MY protection Loki," she reassured him, "None shall harm her, least of all Odin. I will see her returned to you."

He smiled and nodded, letting his hand fall to hers, breaking up the hologram. He closed his eyes and took a breath, before reaching out to take one of the books on the small table, needing something to distract himself till he could see Kona again.

A/N: SO Sorry this is so late! I had a final last night that well...let's just say...if I were a cat, it took one of my lives. The entire class was begging for an extra hour (the ENTIRE class) and we managed to guilt the professor into it...I didn't get out till 11 and then sort of just curled up in a ball and went to sleep instead of editing this chapter. I'm doing it at work and my boss is literally minutes away from coming in so I want to get this posted before he gets here.

Again, SO sorry that it's late! :(

I hope you all liked the Kona/Frigga moment and Loki! He knows she's back ^-^ There will be more interaction between her and Loki to come too ;)

Some notes on reviews...

There will be a moment where Thor and Kona talk about what happened, whether it'll have a good end or not I can't say }:)

Lol, yup, the kitty was a girl :) And yup, the way he sits on the throne will be pretty important ;)

Oh, cool :) I'll have to check out the Fables :) I hope you liked the meeting with Loki :)

We'll definitely see the Warriors Three and Sif's reaction to her ;) But nope, Sif and Kona aren't sisters, they were just two girls born on the same day :) I think Heimdall might have seen what happend with Loki, but it wouldn't mean he believes Loki wasn't faking. He is a god of mischief and lies a lot ;)


	5. Attacks On All Sides

Attacks On All Sides

Frigga led Kona through the palace once more, the girl still in her sweatshirt and pants. She'd tried to convince the girl to dress…properly…for being taken to the King of Asgard, she had tried to get the girl to consider her gowns, the ones that still hung in her room despite her banishment. She had...refused to allow them to be thrown away, not just because they were a remembrance of Kona herself, but...she supposed she'd been hoping against hope that one day the girl might return, that she'd want those gowns again. Kona had always been so simple (something she still was it seemed) her gowns were hardly extravagant, but they were elegant in their simplicity. She had tried to get her to consider her favorite gown, a white gown with gold embroidery, but Kona had remained firm in her refusal. She had promptly reminded her SHE was not an Asgardian any longer was she? Why should she dress for a king? He knew what he was getting when he requested her back, didn't he? Afterwards, when she could remember the proper protocols, then perhaps she would dress for the occasion, but until then she was what she was, and that was human.

Frigga had to smile at her daring, this Kona…she could see traces of the old her in the woman, the longer she was around Loki she'd seen a shift in her. The more she spoke with him the more like her old self she had started to sound. It was as though being around him was familiar to her, was a reminder of her life on Asgard and more things came to the surface when Loki was near her. It was understandable, of all the time Kona had in Asgard, she had been with Loki a majority of it, reading or talking or walking or anything of the sort. And…it saddened her a great deal to see this new side to the girl she had begun to love as a daughter. She knew that the Kona she saw before her was the result of a life on Earth, the result of about 3 years on Earth with no memory of Asgard. Without her memories she'd needed to create new ones, and new ones would mean new experiences, would mean new reactions and a new personality. It pained her so much to know that the girl before her wasn't the true Kona but the result of her banishment.

She could guess what the 'new Kona' would say if she brought it up, that Odin would see the fruits of the King of Asgard's labors in her. That he would see the result of the banishment for what it was. She wished she could be there to witness Odin's reaction to her but…what was coming, she knew Odin wanted to speak to the girl alone, that he wanted to get only her opinion on things without any sort of influence. He would speak to her first, try to gauge if any sort of magic had been used on her, test her to make sure Loki hadn't done any tricks to her to alter her memory once it was returned or to try and create a loyalty to him. It hurt to think her husband would believe their son capable of that, no…she KNEW he was capable of such trickery. When he'd been but a boy and just learning how to trick others, he would sometimes rely on altering a memory here or there, putting in a false memory of him in his room or in the library so that the guards and other targets wouldn't know it was him. But while he had done that to a few others in the past, she knew he would NEVER do the same to Kona, not ever.

But still, Odin would check her, to make sure what she said and thought would be her own words and not Loki's. He would start with the events of Earth, of the Chitauri and get her opinion and recount of that. And then, after that was said and done, he would restore her memories and ask her that again, he would want to see if there was a change in the tale, if she might have altered something in what she said. Because when her banishment was lifted, her memories and title restored, she would be honor bound to answer him truthfully. Any alterations in the tale would mean that her memories had been tampered with, or that she had been lying as a human and the events with the Chitauri were as they appeared to be. She was praying that they would find out that her stories matched. She truly could not wait till Kona's memories were restored because then, finally…they would learn the truth of what happened.

She was…quite looking forward to it, to seeing her second son's name cleared of the tarnish of treachery.

But for the moment, she had to deliver the girl to Thor. She had heard that he and Jane had finished in the Healing Room, that Odin had appeared, which meant Odin would be back in the throne room and she knew that Thor would be the one who needed to escort her to the king. HE had been the one to request her return, it was his duty to deliver her to give her testimony. She knew where Thor had likely taken Jane and headed there, seeing the two of them speaking near a small balcony like area that overlooked Asgard, the two of them close and speaking softly. She knew what they were speaking of, the force inside of Jane, the one that Heimdall had described to her when she requested he watch Thor and tell her what he did. There was something inside her, something powerful, and something that was worrying both her and Thor to know about.

And given how intently Thor was looking at the woman, it was something entirely dangerous as well. She had to smile when she saw her son lean in to kiss Jane but...it was a sad smile. She truly felt so terribly for Loki, that he was locked in a prison cell, that he was separated from all of them, from Kona especially, while Thor had full access to Jane. She wanted both her sons to be happy and seeing how alive Loki had come at the mere sight of Kona...it had given her hope that she wold see that.

"I'll find a way to save you Jane," Thor was promising her.

"Your father said there was..." Jane shook her head as they approached, neither seeing them.

"My father doesn't know everything."

Frigga smiled at that, "Don't let him hear you say that," she called, drawing Thor's attention over to her, him and Jane standing straighter from where they'd been leaning against the balcony wall.

"Jane Foster please meet Frigga," Thor introduced, "The Queen of Asgard my mother."

"Hi," Jane smiled awkwardly, waving at her.

"It is good to meet you," Frigga smiled warmly, "You have met Kona yes? Seer of the House of Odin?"

"Um, yes," Jane nodded a bit.

"Former seer," Kona muttered under her breath.

Frigga looked at her sadly before turning to Thor, "Thor…if you would be so kind, your father wishes to speak with Kona. It is your duty to deliver her to the throne room."

Thor straightened at that, "Of course mother," he nodded, stepping up to take Kona's arm much like Frigga had, but Kona pulled her arm away from him.

Jane watched curiously as Thor led Kona off, the girl walking beside him with a single arm out to the side to not walking the walls or the edge of the doorframes. She…could understand why Kona was so wary of Thor, he'd banished her, he'd taken away her memories but…she didn't understand why she'd been banished in the first place? Why was she being returned now? What had Thor done to her that was so terrible? She could tell that the wariness Kona displayed, the way she refused to fully accept his apology earlier, and the fact she claimed there was an even greater slight that Thor had yet to make up for meant that it was more than just this banishment that alarmed the girl.

"If it's alright to ask?" she looked at Frigga who turned to her and nodded her on, "But…why doesn't she seem comfortable around Thor?"

It was hard for her to imagine why anyone wouldn't feel completely safe, given her experience with him, he…he did everything he could to fight to keep those around him safe.

Frigga sighed, "Once, long ago, Thor…did something to Kona," she offered, "Something that hurt her a great deal."

"More than banishing her?" Jane had to ask.

"I don't believe any punishment could be worse than that," Frigga turned to look in the direction Thor and Kona had gone, "But it is a slight that Thor has not made up for, not to her."

"What was it?" she looked at the woman, it had to be pretty big to not be forgiven.

"That is not my tale to tell," Frigga remarked and Jane nodded, understanding, that was between Thor and Kona so she'd have to ask one of them.

"What does Odin want to meet with her about? Why was Thor supposed to bring her back?" wasn't the point of banishment to not be brought back?

Frigga smiled again, "She has knowledge of something that may yet free Loki."

Jane's eyes widened at that, "FREE LOKI?!" she gaped, WHY did the woman seem so happy about that!?

The man was a monster!

~8~

Kona took a breath as she was led down a path, the sounds were…familiar, or the lack of sounds were. She knew she was in the throne room, she had to be, it was far too silent as she followed Thor in. She was actually a bit…nervous. And why wouldn't she be? She was following the man who had banished her and stolen her memories away towards the man that had had the power to return them and refused to do so. She was heading towards the man who had thrown Loki in the dungeons, who treated him as though he were no longer his son. She was heading to the man who could easily order her execution.

"Father," Thor began, holding out an arm to stop her walking as he looked at his father sitting rigidly in the middle of his throne, "As you permitted, I have returned Kona to Asgard."

She frowned, listening as she heard someone rise and a thump sound, like a staff being set down on the floor, "Leave us," an old man spoke.

She let out her breath as she felt Thor walk away, heard a few other men, probably guards, leave as well…leaving her alone with Odin in silence, a silence that lasted longer than she would have liked, her being unsure if she was meant to speak or wait till spoken to.

"I am…gravely disappointed in you Kona," Odin spoke, his voice echoing through the hall, "That you would partake in such a crime against Asgard, against your home. The lack of thanks you showed towards me, both as your king and as the one who helped provide for you is disheartening."

"With all due respect, sir," she cut in gently, "A wise king hears all accounts before making a decision. Your view on Loki and I might change if you learn the truth."

"Yes…" he said slowly, "You and Loki continue to insist that the events around Jotunheim were not as they appear. You have even convinced my wife and Thor of such accusations."

"And yet you will not consider that there MAY be a possibility of it being truth?"

Odin eyed her from his throne…this Kona was…a bit more outspoken than he was used to from her. Often the other Kona would wait till he had finished speaking before giving her counter, not that she ever truly countered. That was not her duty, her duty was to see the future and advise on the events of it.

"I KNOW the truth," he countered, more harshly than he intended, seeing her flinch, "I KNOW my s…Loki. I know how he is, I know how he acts, I know how he things. He believes his birthright is a throne and…"

"And whose fault is that?!" she snapped, hating, absolutely HATING hearing him talk like that.

She didn't know why she was getting so angry, but she was. She could feel that there was something going on in her head, that there was something about his words, his claims that he knew Loki better than her. It wasn't hurt, it wasn't disbelief, she knew in her heart that SHE was the one who knew him best, but it wasn't that. It was that he was claiming all these things…and not even realizing that the crime be actually thought Loki responsible for was HIS OWN desire and NOT something Odin himself had been telling him since he'd been born.

"How dare you!" he stood up, Gungnir banging on the floor at the move.

"Why shouldn't I?" she narrowed her unseeing eyes at him, "What will you do? Banish me? I already have been. Kill me? Go ahead. I would rather die than be parted from Loki again by something like that," her voice broke at that as Odin stared at her, "You claim he wants a throne, who was the one who told him, over and over, that he deserved one? You claim to know him so well, you imply it is because he's your son that you do…but YOU would disown him and cast him aside and not even listen to him? Which son are you truly thinking of? Which son do you truly know best? Loki? Or Thor? Which one has ever been more keen to be king than the other? It is certainly NOT Loki. And if there is one thing I know, despite my memories being gone, it is that I know Loki better than anyone. Better than Thor, better than Frigga, better than even YOU. YOU should not speak of things you do not know."

"You insolent girl!" he spat, striding down the steps.

Kona stumbled back, starting to realize she may have just crossed the line, "You brought me here to learn the truth. I just told it to you. If you can't accept it, then that is your own fault."

She gasped, feeling something press against her throat and she knew it was the tip of the staff he was holding, "I can have you thrown in the dungeons for speaking to me in such a way."

"Please do," she turned her eyes on him, "Then I'd be closer to him."

Odin stared at her long and hard, sorely tempted to do just that, to throw her into the dungeons. That would keep Frigga and Thor from hounding him to have her returned, to learn the 'truth' or so they claimed. He believed, he firmly believed that they already knew the truth, that they were just holding out a false and foolish hope that Loki could be saved. There was a small voice in his mind though that whispered to him at times, that, perhaps, he was so adamant that Loki was guilty because it would be easier to accept what he'd done to the boy (throwing him in chains, imprisoning him, punishing him) if he truly was guilty. If Loki were innocent…then he had just put his son through the worst hell imaginable.

"That is not why you are here," he pulled Gungnir away and turned to storm back to the throne, "You are here to give your account of the attack on this…New York," he muttered, turning to sit on his golden chair, "You give an honest account of it, if I detect falsehood I shall forbid your memories ever be returned. And be aware, when your memories are returned for comparison…if the tales are different, you will be severely punished for lying to me."

Kona swallowed, rubbing her neck, before taking a few tentative steps forward, "Loki came to Earth to get me back," she explained, trying to be brief, trying to sum up all she knew about that event, "The Chitauri hurt him, they tortured him…"

And so she spoke, of all that the Chitauri had done to him, of all that Loki had done on Earth, of everything…

~8~

Deep in the dungeons, Loki sat against the all, still reading the book Frigga had left, smiling to himself as he gently traced one of the more intricate raised letters. He closed his eyes and felt it again, imaging what Kona saw in her mind when she did the same…he looked over suddenly when there was a roar and a crash. He stiffened, seeing one of the prisoners had actually escaped. He stood and made his way to his glass wall, watching as the prisoner released more and more of them, pausing to look at him, before continuing on and he let out a breath. He was…hoping that he wouldn't be released. The LAST thing he wanted while Kona was trying to convince Odin of his innocence was for them to think HE was responsible or involved in this attack.

"Try the stairs to the right," he called out at the passing creature. He knew there were only two stairs in and out of that place…one led to the main palace, closer to where he knew Kona would be, the left stairs, and one that led to the courtyards, a more open area with more guards, the right one. He had hoped that, being there, being a prisoner, the other one might take the right stairs, might believe him an ally…

But he swallowed hard when the prisoner merely led the others up the left stairs. He closed his eyes, banging his fist gently on the glass wall, feeling more powerless than he ever had before to be left with merely being able to pray that Kona and his mother…perhaps even Thor…would be safe.

~8~

Odin stood before Kona, Gungnir in his hand, having just gotten her account (and rather vocal opinion) of the attack on New York. He was unsure of what to think, the picture she painted was one he was both hoping was true and dreading was true. She made it out to be that Loki had been innocent the entire time, that he'd not only been under the Chitauri control, but their influence as well. Influence as in...his so...Loki had been tortured, likely physically and mentally, by the Chitauri to agree to their ideals and to have his memories skewed. She had claimed that he had come to Earth, first and foremost, to get her back, that he had planned (under the Chitauri influence) to hold Earth hostage and use it as a bargaining chip to exchange it for Kona's return. She had claimed that, upon destroying a scepter, Loki's mind had returned to him and he expressed regret, that he had WILLINGLY turned himself over to Thor...which (he had to admit) DID seem to coincide with how willingly Loki had entered and left the throne room when he'd first been brought in.

He was hoping it was true, as it would mean the innocence of his son, but dreading its truth in that...it would mean he had wrongly imprisoned his son for that. Not that THAT was the only crime he'd been charged with that had landed him there, no there was still the little matter of the Jotuns being allowed into Asgard. THAT was something he truly needed to know as it had led to all these events.

He was about to raise the staff and return her memories to see if her story would remain the same or if it would change (a sign of magic at hand)…when guards raced into the room.

"Allfather!" one guard bowed quickly, "There's been a breakout in the prison!"

Odin didn't even bother to wait as he grabbed Kona's arm, immediately dragging her off, thoughts of returning her memories forgotten as he feared the worst, "Loki?" he looked at the guard.

"Still in his cell," the guard replied.

Odin swallowed, unsure if he should be happy about that, that Loki wasn't a part of it, or upset that it meant Loki wasn't involved in this (and that it was another indication of his innocence)

"Come with me," he pulled Kona on, following the guards out of the room and taking the lead down the halls, more and more guards gathering behind him, "Send a squadron to the weapons vault, defend it at all costs," he ordered as he went, "Secure the dungeon."

"Odin!" Frigga shouted, rushing over to them.

He looked at her, alarmed, "Frigga," he breathed, before turning to shout at a guard behind him, "Go!" and turn back to her, "It's a skirmish nothing to fear."

Frigga smiled wryly at him, able to see though that, "You've never been a very good liar."

Odin glanced over at Jane, and spotted Sif entering with the other guards, "Take her to you chambers," he nodded at Jane, "Lady Sif!" he called, beckoning the young, dark haired woman down to them, the girl rushing over, "I must task you with guarding Kona."

"Odin I can look after her as well," Frigga countered.

"You will have enough to worry about protecting one mortal…"

"You haven't returned her memories yet?" Frigga nearly hissed at him, alarmed at that. They'd been in meeting for nearly an hour!

Sif, however, stiffened and looked at Kona, making Jane frown, seeing the narrow-eyed distrustful gaze Sif was sending her, it put her on edge. Kona had seemed…nice, ok, a decent person but apparently she was mixed up with Loki and trying to free him and convince them all that the man was innocent. He'd sent a metal machine to KILL Thor in New Mexico! How could she defend him?! Did the girl really hate Thor THAT much?

"Lady Sif?" Odin turned to the young warrior, not answering Frigga's question but also answering it at the same time with how he refused to say.

"I will guard her," she nodded, clasping a fist to her shoulder in salute.

Odin looked back at Frigga, "I'll come for you when it's safe."

"You take care," Frigga warned him, sending him a warning glance as well, but one that had nothing to do with his safety but a promise to 'discuss' why he hadn't returned Kona's memories to her.

"Despite all I have survived my queen still worries over me," he smiled at her gently, reaching out to touch her face, trying to placate her.

"It's only because I worry over you that you have survived," she countered.

Odin nodded and she walked off, him turning to the guards to lead them away.

"Come traitor," Sif reached out and took Kona's arm, "We must hurry."

"I am NOT a traitor," Kona hissed under her breath as she was half-dragged away, but Sif remained quiet.

~8~

Sif stood in Kona's chambers, the only place she could think to bring the woman that she'd be able to easily defend and also be able to keep Kona away from the attacking forces. In case the WAS a plot of Loki's, she needed to ensure that none of the others found her. But it was starting to irritate her, Kona was pacing behind her, making it hard to keep her in her periphery while also keeping an eye on the events going on through the palace and down the hall.

"We need to go," Kona insisted for what was the tenth time in the last minute, "We can't be here."

"I was ordered to guard you on the Allfather's command, we stay here," Sif stated, her voice hard. This was the LAST place she wanted to be, not just hiding away in the corner of the palace and away from the epic battle, but with Kona, Loki's little dog, the traitor that had nearly led Asgard to fall.

"You don't understand," Kona moved over to her, trying to take her arm, but Sif pulled away, "Something…something is going to happen."

"What?" Sif eyed her, she could see that expression on Kona's face…it was the same one that she had often seen on the girl when she had a vision…but that was impossible. Thor had stripped her of all that, hadn't he?

"I don't know," she admitted, "But…" she frowned, trying to find the words, "Something…bad…something painful is coming."

Sif rolled her eyes and turned back to guarding the door.

Kona moved back till her legs hit the back of the couch and she sat on the back of it, reaching up to massage her temples, feeling a terrible migraine coming. She winced, seeing bits of light, seeing a flash of metal, seeing…she gasped, a small flash striking her, Frigga standing before an elfin like man.

"Frigga," she breathed, "Sif! Frigga is in danger!"

That was ALL Sif needed to grab her arm and drag her out of the room. Whether it was because she believed Kona's sudden shout, believed it was a vision, or she just wanted any excuse to get out of that room and into the battle, Kona wasn't sure, it didn't even matter because it meant they were leaving, that they were going to check on Frigga. She…had no ill will towards the woman. She was disappointed that Frigga hadn't held fast to her mother's instincts and trusted her son, but…Frigga HAD come around, she believed in Loki now. And if there was one person that could help her sway Odin if the truth wasn't enough…it was Frigga. She was not only important to Odin, but Thor, and…especially to Loki, and she would be crushed if she was too late to help the woman.

And so, this once, she let Sif drag her about by the arm, she didn't pull away or struggle but rushed to keep up as she followed her through the winding halls of the palace…to Frigg'as chambers. Sif stopped short though when an angry, sorrowful, heartbroken roar of "NOOOO!" reached them followed by the whoosh of air that could only be caused by a hammer.

Sif ran forward, pulling her along and stopped short once more, gasping at the sight before her.

"What is it?" Kona whispered, terrified of what it could be.

"Queen Frigga…" Sif swallowed, "She has been slain."

Kona closed her eyes at that, feeling tears behind them, when she heard it, she heard Thor walking within the room, she heard someone in a dress (the fabric lightly brushing the ground) enter on the side, she could smell them, Thor and Jane, and…there was another, a shuffle of armor and a unique scent…Odin.

Odin was in the room, and likely staring at his fallen wife.

No…she KNEW he was in the room, she could hear it, hear him shuffling towards the body, she could her him kneeling down and cradling her, hear him sobbing as Sif stood rigidly beside her. She could hear Jane rush across the room to Thor's side, likely holding him…

And then she heard Odin stiffen.

"YOU!" the old man nearly snarled. She heard him rising, grabbing Gungnir, "Why did you not see this coming!?" he snapped at her, his voice getting louder as though he were drawing nearer.

"Father…" Thor tried to call.

But Odin had reached her, had grabbed her by the throat and pushed her back against the wall, "Were you a part of this?! Was this Loki?! How did you not see this coming!?"

Kona, for her part, remained quite still, her chin lifted in defiant manner, and when she spoke, her voice was steady…a FAR cry from how she felt on the inside, that she was screaming and shaking and scared to death of the man before her. She didn't need to see to know his expression was furious.

"I did not see, Allfather," she spoke, "Because I CANNOT see," she directed her eyes towards his own, "Or have you forgotten you have yet to return my memories and my control of my sight to me?"

It was as if he'd been slapped as Odin stumbled back away from her. It was true, for one brief moment he…he HAD forgotten that she could no longer see the future as clearly as she had. Her memories included so many years worth of learning to control her abilities, her visions, of learning to have a vision when she wished, to look for a certain answer in them. With her memories locked away…there was no way she would have been able to see this coming with enough time.

HE had been the one to put this off, to refuse to let her back to Asgard, and even then, when he had had the chance, he had spent more time arguing and not listening to her in the throne room. HE was the only one who could return her memories…and he had refused.

He had refused too long…and now Frigga was dead.

A/N: :'( Poor Frigga :( I wanted to save her so badly, but I wanted it to also be a consequence of Odin putting this off for so long and not believing or trying to find the truth earlier. Because he refused, Kona couldn't see it in time, and he lost his wife :( Poor her, to die not knowing the whole truth :( I can say there'll be more about the Warriors Three and Sif and their reactions to Kona being back soon ;)

I hope you liked Kona trying to stand up to Odin ;) We still need to see her take on Asgard :)

Some notes on reviews...

Yup, there will be a Jane/Kona moment where she finds out what Thor did to her ;) She and Jane will definitely bond over loving their Asgardian men :)

Thanks! I wish anyone who has finals coming good luck too :)

Nope, no memories before the attack, but very soon ;) I hope you enjoy Evy's story ;)

Oh Kona will definitely bring up that vision of Thor yup :)

Odin will have a tough time coming...but he just might give in to one particular request, won't say what though }:)

Lol, I think it's because there's a bit of Loki in Tom and vice versa :)

Thanks so much! I'm glad you're enjoying the stories so far :)

I think Kona will tell Odin, but only after she remembers as she doesn't know what the Dark Elves are at the moment, but I think he'll believe her ;) As for the reunion with the Warriors 3 and Sif, we'll have to wait and see how they react to her ;)


	6. Considerations

Considerations

Frigga was dead.

The mighty queen of Asgard had fallen, in defense of a human, and Odin was left devastated. The old king, already so worn and weary from what he saw as a betrayal by one son, seemed nearly at his end as all the Asgardians gathered outside in the dusk. Word had spread throughout the Realm of the attack on the palace of the single greatest casualty of it, the queen herself. All had gathered to pay their last respects to the brave and magnanimous woman. They stood there, at the edge of the land, watching as the boat containing the queen began to drift out into the growing darkness.

Odin stood stiffly, his eye fixed on the small boat, on the flowers that were just barely visible in the darkness along the edges of it. He couldn't move, he couldn't bring himself to give the command that would mean that Frigga, his beloved wife, was truly dead and gone. And so Thor took it upon himself to do so, giving a nod to an archer beside Odin. The man nodded back and lifted his bow, an arrow already notched, the end of it burning, and fired it carefully to the boat.

Kona swallowed hard as she stood there, it was silent, it was too silent, and she had no idea what was going on, it wasn't like she could see. She could hear a fire spring to life though and she knew that the boat with Frigga in it was alight even if she couldn't see it. She could hear everyone around her moving, their clothes rustling. She heard Jane gasp beside her for Jan was standing between her and Thor and knew that something was happening. There was a…hum in the air, a gentle hum, but she didn't know what. She couldn't see all the Asgardians lifting small balls of light into the sky, beacons to help guide Frigga's soul to Valhalla. She couldn't see the boat drift towards the edge of the Realm and fall over the side. She couldn't see Odin close his eyes as a tear feel from it.

But there was one thing she COULD see.

She could picture it in her mind even if she truly wasn't seeing it in a vision or whatever the others would have her believe she could see being a seer. She could see Loki. She could see Loki, Friggason, in his cell, standing there, worrying about the attack. She hadn't been able to go see him, Sif had refused to let her out of her sight, it appeared the woman might think she had something to do with it still, or that Loki had planned it. It wasn't till right now that she could sense Sif was standing away from her. Now would be her only chance to slip away…and so she did. She stepped back, the crowd parting easily, none of them too concerned with her, with the odd human girl in her clothes, all of them were too focused on Frigga and paying their respects, they were so focused she was easily able to keep stepping back and back and back till she was out of the crowd…

And then she turned and ran for the palace.

It wasn't right, it wasn't right at all what they were doing right now. Yes, Odin had lost a wife, the kingdom a queen, Thor a mother…but LOKI had lost a mother as well. Frigga was Loki's mother in every way that counted and he was left to sit in a cell, unable to even participate, unable to even stand there and truly say goodbye, to offer up his own light to guide his mother to peace. She couldn't bear the thought of him sitting there, fearing the worst…and then have to be told by a random guard that the queen had died. THAT should be something his father (or preferably his brother) told him. That should be something that he was told delicately, that he was told with someone there to hold him as Jane had held Thor.

And she would be damned if she left Loki alone to mourn in this.

She could feel a pang in her heart at that, she…couldn't remember her parents, but all this thinking of mothers leaving their children…she felt like maybe that had happened to her. She felt like perhaps she'd had a mother once and she'd died, she'd died and left her daughter all alone. But…she hadn't been alone because she'd had Loki. She could feel that in her heart, she'd had Loki there with her, to hold her, to whisper to her, to wipe away her tears…she could be that for Loki. He had been there with her through the pain, he'd worried for her and taken care of her when he didn't have to. She had a vague idea that she hadn't always been a seer, that it wasn't till she'd lost her sight and gained her foresight that she'd been 'promoted' so to speak, Loki, being a prince, wouldn't have had to do anything for her…and yet he had.

Odin and Thor clearly had forgotten the other son of Frigga's that had lost a mother. She could almost feel his anguish, though she knew it was just because she KNEW Loki. He felt so much deeper than others, so much more powerfully, this blow…it would crush him. It would devastate him in more ways than one. Because not only had he lost his mother, he'd lost one of his supporters, worse yet (truly THE worst)…Frigga had died without being able to hear the truth, to hear of her son's true innocence, to hear her husband clear his name, to have her son truly back and welcomed with open arms.

And now she never would.

She ran faster, not even noticing a dark-haired woman following after her, not about to let a traitor out of her sight.

~8~

Kona had…absolutely no idea how she'd managed to do it, make it all the way through the palace and down to the lowest chambers without any guards or other Asgardians stopping her without even knowing just how to get where she wanted to go. She supposed she could claim that it was that they were all occupied trying to round up the missing prisoners, attending Frigga's funeral, or even that…well…there was only ONE prisoner down there so what need was there for guards? It seemed even the guards had realized that Loki would not willingly leave his cell unless it was ordered by Thor or Odin. Whatever the case was, she was infinitely thankful that the guards were gone. The last thing she needed was for one of them to apprehend her and claim that she was trying to break Loki out or that they were meeting in secret to discuss their success…

As though she had even had time to speak to him about it if he had been planning anything. Heimdall had seen her leave with Frigga, Frigga herself had kept an eye on her and delivered her to Thor, Thor had brought her to Odin and Odin deposited her in Sif's hands. Ooh…she hated that, being passed around like she was some sort of doll or something. She actually would have preferred if they'd bound her wrists in chains and made her feel like a prisoner instead. She hated being defined by her sight (and now her lack of memories), she hated when people looked at her and thought one thing about her because of what they saw or knew and not because they truly KNEW her.

She shook her head, pausing only a moment to catch her breath at the bottom of a set of stairs, the door pushed open, her half hanging on it as she panted, it had been…quite the run. But she hadn't stopped, she hadn't dared stop…except to duck to the side twice, into an alcove of sorts when she heard guards (or at least other Asgardians) approaching. But she'd made it, she'd made it to the dungeons…

And then she heard a crash, as though a number of objects had been smashed against a wall all at once, "Loki…" she breathed, rushing forward, hearing more and more and more crashing, the sounds of things breaking, of wood splintering, glass shattering, clanging of metal and cries of grief and pain and anguish.

She ran faster, following the shouts, till she reached its source. She held out a hand, trying to find her way around, knowing Loki was in some sort of cell…before her hand game in contact with a glass wall. She let out a breath, able to hear Loki clearly now, hear him raging away his grief. Apparently he'd discovered the funeral had just been held…that he had been denied the chance to say a proper goodbye to his mother.

"Loki!" she called, just once.

Once was all that was needed as Loki turned on the spot, panting, his hands in fists, his back hunched, his shoulders rigid, glaring across the way…only for his expression to soften, seeing Kona standing there, "Kona," he swallowed, making his way to her, pressing both his hands to the wall of the cell, right over where her right hand was. He took a shuddering breath, "Kona…I can't…" he voice cracked as he tried his best to contain his tears, but…his mother had just died.

He'd JUST been talking to her. He'd tried to save her, tried to get the enemy to go in the opposite direction, to go in another path and avoid the palace…but it had gone up there anyway. He hadn't been able to stop it, and because of him, Frigga was dead, his mother was gone, it was all his fault…because he couldn't stop it.

"I'm so sorry Loki," Kona looked in his direction, placing her other hand on the glass, not even knowing where his hand was yet hers ended up on his. She wanted so badly to be able to be in that cell with him, to comfort him. She could tell from the sounds of the crashing that he'd practically destroyed his cell she'd imagine. She just…she didn't want him to be alone, she didn't want him to do anything drastic…and…she just wanted to hold him, to be there for him and comfort him and…

She gasped as she felt her hands moving through the glass wall of the cell, the rest of her following suit. Loki didn't even step back, didn't remove his hands from where hers were, merely entwining their fingers for a moment, "What…" she breathed, shocked, now able to feel him once more. She knew she had to be inside his cell with him…but she had no idea HOW.

"It is merely the plan of the cells," Loki explained, thankful for the small reprieve from his thoughts by way of explanation, "They are meant to keep the prisoner in…there is nothing to keep visitors out. They can come and go as they wish…"

"But most get no visitors," she murmured.

"No," he agreed.

She supposed it made sense why Frigga appeared as a hologram to visit him, why she had made them both into those images instead of taking her down to the dungeon herself. The guards would see, the guards would notice and they'd try to stop them from speaking with Loki. If they were already in the cell…then there was nothing to stop them. And if they randomly appeared in it, the guards would realize that they were just images and not really there, in no danger of Loki 'harming' them.

Kona shook her head, wondering why she was stopping to think on THAT when Loki was right in front of her. She pulled him closer by their entwined hands and dropped them, wrapping her arms around him and holding him tightly. She felt him shudder against her as he returned the embrace twice as strong, burying his head in her neck and hair as he held her…the shuddering turned to shaking, the shaking to crying as he mourned the loss of his mother and sought comfort in her embrace.

"I'm so sorry Loki," she whispered in his ear, "If I'd had my sight I could have seen this…it's my fault…"

"No," he pulled away taking a breath, trying to be regain composure, "It was mine. I tried to steer them away from the palace entrance, but they were undeterred."

"I kept trying to tell Sif something was wrong," she admitted, "But she wouldn't listen. I didn't know something was wrong with Frigga till it was too late."

He managed to offer her a small smile at that, one he knew she couldn't see but…one that meant the world to him, she had tried to save his mother, she had tried…and he had tried…but then his smile fell, and they'd both failed. It seemed they were nothing without their abilities. He could do nothing to help Asgard while he was locked away. Just because he could escape if he wished didn't mean it wouldn't take ample time to manage it. And he hadn't tried to prepare to escape a single instant since he'd been placed there. He knew that, not only would it be a terrible sign to Odin and Thor that perhaps he WAS guilty if he tried to escape, but…the guards, Thor, the Warriors Three and Sif…they would all hunt him down, they would kill him on the spot and…if he'd made it to Kona by then…they'd kill her too.

He had stayed there just as much for her benefit and safety as his. And now his mother had paid the price for his sense of honor. He was useless in the cage he'd been placed in, he couldn't go out there and fight, he couldn't use his magic, he couldn't do anything to protect the ones he loved from inside the cell. He just…he felt so hopeless. He knew, if he'd been freed, if he'd been out there, the first thing he would have done upon an attack happening was run to find their mother, to protect her with everything he had. But he hadn't been out there, he hadn't been free, and Frigga had died.

Even Kona for all her amazing gifts and foresight, she hadn't seen till it was too late. There had been a time where even the slightest of potential attacks could be seen by her, even before Heimdall himself noticed it gathering. There had been times where, upon word of an attack or a battle heading for them, she could look in to the future on purpose and see the outcome to a point. But now she was vaguely aware of them, hardly able to control them, and…the attack had happened. She COULD have warned of it, before it took place, if she'd had her memories, if she'd had that part of her mind unlocked and been able to remember all the control she'd had over them.

"Come," Kona's gentle voice cut in on his thoughts and he realized he'd taking her hand, was looking down at it, studying it, one of his nervous traits, he always did that as a means to distract him, to try and take his mind off of what was bothering him. He could get lost in Kona so easily that even just touching her hand or looking at her could send his mind fuzzy and blissfully blank.

But right now, seeing the sorrow on her face just reminded him of his own.

Kona took his arm, gently leading him through the room, struggling to try and keep away from the debris. Loki smiled at the look of concentration on her face and tugged her arm, "This way," he murmured, guiding her past the rubble and broken items to the one free area against the wall. He sat down, gently helping her sit beside him. He looked down at the glass scattered around the floor, his foot had been cut a bit from where he'd stomped on the broken shards of a mirror with his bare foot, but he didn't feel any pain, not now, not with Kona with him…at least not physical pain.

"Let it out Loki," she reached out and took his hand as soon as she was settled.

He swallowed, "I don't know what you me…"

"Trying to lie to a seer, Mischief Maker?" she offered him a small, strained smile. Those words were so familiar to her, that name for him, talking about how he would try to lie but never manage it. He never managed to trick her, she 'saw' through everything he tried.

"No," he let out a small laugh, "I just…" he swallowed again, it was all so confusing and overwhelming and agonizing and…

"Let it out," Kona squeezed his arm, "Please…I know you Loki…you need to let it out," she reached up with her hand and touched his cheek, turning him to face her, "It's just me. And I see all of you already."

"You always do," he murmured, nodding, before looking back, looking forward, across the room…starting to get lost in his thoughts. He could feel it building, the thing Kona was telling him to let go of, he could feel it inside him, bubbling and growing and raising…he could feel it consuming, the sorrow, his regret, his disappointment in himself, his guilt, his anger, his…loss…

Kona didn't even jump when Loki let out the most heart wrenching scream from beside her. She could feel him jerking off the wall, his body tensing and tightening as his arms curled, his legs jerked, pouring everything he felt, every pain, into that one single scream of anguish, getting it all out…

She felt him fall back against the wall with a jerk, panting, shaking beside her. She hugged his arm, knowing he'd needed that. He'd need to just…let it out, let out the pain, and she knew that he'd need her afterwards, to comfort him, to reassure him. And so she did, she reached her arms around his neck and shoulder and hugged him, "That's better…" she whispered to him.

He swallowed, nodding as he buried his face in her neck, just…holding her as he shook, he just…he couldn't believe it. Frigga, the queen, his mother…she was…gone? She couldn't be gone, she was immortal! Or so he liked to believe. His mother was a goddess, she had to be to have the unending patience she always maintained, the quiet dignity, the compassion, she was just…she was too strong and too kind to have been struck down in such a manner.

He couldn't grasp that. Even when she had doubted him…she had still looked out for him, still cared for him. She had convinced Odin not to kill him, she had made it possible, in him being alive, that he would see Kona again. She had protected the girl that, for all they believed, was as much a traitor as him because she knew how much Kona meant to him. She may have been disappointed when she'd thought he'd truly betrayed Asgard and willingly harmed so many Midgardians, but…she had still loved him like a son, and he knew that the words he'd spoken to her had been the ultimate truth.

He was Frigga's son.

He felt a tear fall from his eyes at that, his last words to her had been that he was and always would be her son. He hoped that it had comforted her in her last moments. He couldn't begin to say how much more devastated he would be if he had done the opposite and claimed she was not his mother because Odin was not his father. But she was right, she was always right, they were his family, them and Kona.

He pulled back slightly when he felt Kona reach up and brush the stray tear away with the pad of her thumb, "I'm sorry," he swallowed, not wanting her to…to see him so weak.

But she smiled, stroking his cheek, "I understand," she nodded, before blinking, seeming confused a moment, "Did…did my mother die as well?"

He closed his eyes at that, being there with her…when she was with him it was almost like she was her old self again, like she was his Kona. She acted and spoke and held herself more like her the longer she was around him. It was so easy to forget that she still was missing her memories. A small part of him, a part that DID hold a sliver of bitterness against Odin almost hoped he would see what a mess he'd made of it all in refusing to return Kona before this. She would have seen it happen, warned them, Frigga would still be alive if Kona had only had her sight.

"Yes," he whispered, "She…"

"Died a while ago," she guessed, she didn't feel a sort of blazing pain when she thought of her mother. It was like it had happened so long ago that it wasn't a fresh wound any longer. Yes, it hurt to think her mother (and likely her father) weren't there any longer. But…it was like she'd come to peace with it, had ample time to mourn, and managed to find ways to cope and move on as much as anyone could.

"Yes," he repeated.

"Then I understand Loki," she looked up at him again, "You need to mourn, and you need to let it out, I am here for you in any way you have need of me."

He smiled at her softly, "I know not what I have ever done to deserve you," he murmured, reaching out his own hand to touch her cheek.

"You were born," she said simply. She felt like it was a…touchy subject, his birth, his heritage, and she just…wanted to give him some sort of comfort in it, "Your birth…without you…" she struggled to find the words, "You are my life Loki."

He let out a breath at that, so deeply touched that here he was, sitting in a _prison_ cell, that he'd just torn apart, for a heinous and blackening crime, and she was still looking at him with care and concern and love, that she still felt that way despite it all, "As you are my heart," he agreed, leaning in to kiss her gently, needing more comfort.

She smiled as she pulled away, resting her forehead to his, "Your birth was a blessing to me…"

"And a curse upon the rest of us," a voice interrupted.

Their heads snapped to the side and, even though she couldn't see, she could tell that Sif had entered the cell. The voice was too close to be outside the glass and she could tell from the tone and sound that it was Sif.

"How dare you…" Kona tried to stand, glaring at Sif, but Loki held her back.

"Do not rise to her beat," he whispered in her ear, "Attack her and she will use it as 'proof' against you to Odin."

Kona swallowed hard and stood slower, Loki rising with her, watching HER more intently than he was focusing on Sif, "Why would you say such an awful thing Sif?" she settled with asking instead.

Sif straightened, her chin rising in the air, "I am not sure what lies he has told you, but he has brought nothing but death and ruin wherever he goes. Especially to Asgard."

"How?" Kona shook her head, "In what was has LOKI ever brought such a thing to this place?"

Sif scoffed, "He allowed Frost Giants into the Realm, not once, but twice. They nearly stole the Casket, they nearly killed Odin, he sent the Destroyer to Earth to murder Thor," she shook her head, as though completely astonished that she had to explain this to Kona, that she had to defend herself for what she'd said, "And just now…you were THERE Kona, you were put into the middle of the battle! The Dark Elves have attacked! They've released the prisoners, destroyed sections of the palace, and killed hundreds including the Queen!"

Kona just looked at her a long while, "To counter," she began, "The Frost Giants caused no destruction to Asgard, they were stopped both times, were they not?"

Sif blinked, startled Kona was speaking against her, arguing with her, "Yes…"

"And one of those time was by Loki's own hand, yes?"

"Yes," Sif admitted more begrudgingly.

"This…destroyer thing, was sent to EARTH then, not Asgard, so by your own logic you can't consider that a part of your argument," Sif opened her mouth, but Kona kept going, just KNOWING Loki was smirking/smiling proudly behind her as she went toe to toe with Sif in his defense, "And this battle…these Dark Elves…what in the world would ever make you say that LOKI had anything to do with it? How was HE the cause of this attack? WHY would he want this attack?"

"He is a traitor to the house of Odin," Sif stated firmly, "He desires the throne," she began to list all the reasons she could think of to try and get through to Kona, typically she admired loyalty, but this was ridiculous, "He wanted to escape the prison…"

"You know as well as I do, Sif, if Loki wanted to escape he would have. He wouldn't have needed this to do it."

Sif fell quiet at that, it was…true. There had been a moment actually just before Thor's banishment where Thor and Loki had locked themselves in a cell to see if they could escape. Thor had taken Mjolnir and broken the wall down. She STILL didn't know how Loki had escaped just that he had. He really _wouldn't_ have needed this to do it.

"And if you really think LOKI is responsible for this…"Kona took a breath, "Shouldn't you be thinking of _why_ the Dark Elves are even here?"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Sif looked up at her.

"They came for Jane," she said, "JANE was their target, Frigga was defending her, protecting her. Who brought Jane to Asgard Sif? Who was sent to Earth ONLY to return me and brought Jane as well?" she gave Sif a hard, unseeing look, "Who is really responsible for the Dark Elves coming here?"

Sif was silent, but Kona could hear it in the way Sif was silent, that she'd won. Sif KNEW that Thor had bought Jane there against Odin's command, she knew that the Elves were after Jane, and she knew Frigga had died to protect the human.

It wasn't Loki's fault at all.

It was Thor's.

"You must come with me," Sif replied instead, reaching out to take Kona's arm…but the girl pulled away from her, stepping back, into Loki's embrace.

"For what purpose?" Loki asked, wrapping his arms around Kona, his heart racing at how she had defended him, not only keeping her faith in him but proving to Sif that hers was justified while Sif's was misplaced. He felt so…warmed and touched by Kona's defense of him, and now…Sif was trying to take her way, until he knew why…he wasn't going to let that happen. He let out a breath when he felt Kona lean back into his embrace, moving her arms to wrap over his own.

Sif straightened, "The Allfather has commanded that you be returned to your rooms, until he is ready to hear your testimony of the events involving Jotunheim."

Kona nodded to herself, before turning her head to look up at Loki, leaning up to kiss his cheek to tell him it was alright to let her go, when he turned his head, seeing the move, and pressed his lips to hers instead. Both of them savored the moment, trying to make it last, before they had to pull away.

Loki rested his forehead to hers a moment, looking at her gently, before he leaned away, reaching up a hand to touch her face. He didn't want her to go with Sif but…it might mean that her memories would soon be returned…why Odin was still waiting, he didn't know, but there was a chance. He hoped this wasn't just a trick to get him to release her, so that she could be taken for execution. He wouldn't put it past Odin or Thor to think her involved in planning the attack and give that punishment without evidence. But Kona seemed calm about it, if she sensed an imminent death she would not have tried to tell him it was ok to release her.

And so he did, letting his arms slide away, one hand taking hers and squeezing it a moment before kissing it and letting her go.

Kona stepped away from him and towards Sif, pausing as she made to move past the girl to look at her, "Odin continues to wait for my testimony, to return my memories," she remarked, "If I could remember how to 'see' then…this would have been avoided, wouldn't it? Think on THAT as well Sif. Who had the power to give me mine back, and held off till it was too late."

Sif swallowed, watching as Kona put her hands on the cell wall…and stepped through it to wait in the hall beyond.

"She still manages to do that, doesn't she?" Loki asked, a small smile on his face as he saw Sif's solemn expression, as though a woman who had been forced to endure a solemn revelation.

"Do what?" Sif turned, trying to glare at him but unable to manage more than a firm frown, Kona's words had…shaken her.

"Make one see the truth they refused to see," was all Loki offered before he turned and took one of Kona's books and sat back in the spot they'd been in.

Sif paused at that, watching him NOT attack her, watching him continue to remain in the cell when she knew he could escape easily. She glanced around at the destroyed room within, knowing it was from the news of Frigga's death and funeral, knowing it was an act of true and utter grief and guilt. She swallowed hard at that, it wasn't a guilt of a man whose plan had failed but…the guilt of a man who had not been able to safe his mother.

She glanced between Loki and Kona, the girl still waiting in the hall, before she shook her head and made her way out as well, for some reason…she was…curious…to hear what Kona had to say about the events of Jotunheim and the Frost Giants.

Kona certainly did have a way of making someone see the truth, and she realized…she had hated Kona's firm belief in Loki, that he was innocent, that he was 'perfect' to her…she hadn't even noticed…SHE was doing the same to Thor.

She hadn't stopped to consider the Dark Elves were after Jane…and that THOR had brought her there.

A/N: I really wanted someone to point out that Frigga's death wasn't just because she was defending Jane...but because Jane was THERE, and Jane was there because THOR brought her there. I felt like, for all that Loki did, Odin held him accountable, but where Thor led to the death of his wife...he didn't condemn Thor like he did Loki :(

I hope you all liked Kona's showdown with Sif. Just wait till we get to her testimony with Odin...let's just say, all parties except Loki will be present to see the truth unfold ;)

And I can't believe it! We're already halfway through the story! O.O Wow, time flies lol :)

Some notes on reviews...

Thanks so much :) I'm glad you're enjoying the story, I definitely wanted to try and stick as close to the movie as I could and just look at some things from a different perspective :)

Lol, I can definitely see the father/son resemblance in Odin and Thor in their stubborn ways and not listening :) Lol, don't feel bad about that, I saw Meet the Robinsons 5 times I loved it so much ;) I can confirm I'm definitely a girl ;) I'm very excited to get to those moments too :)

We'll have to see about Loki }:)

I agree, I think Odin was worse in Thor 2, I sort of feel like it might be him feeling betrayed and not trusting anyone anymore, like if his own son could turn on him, who else will? And it's why he's so focused on peace and so harsh to Loki :(


	7. Testimony Given

Testimony Given

Thor strode through the halls of the palace, on a mission, heading for the throne room where he knew his father was gathering his war council to assess the damage from the battle. It had been mere hours since Frigga had died yet there could be no rest for the king, no time to mourn his beloved wife as Asgard stood on the brink of war with the Dark Elves, as it stood defenseless.

He entered the room to see Fandral standing before Odin, Volstagg beside him with a few other men gathered. He knew Sif should be there, but apparently Odin had ordered her to keep watch on Kona, the girl confined to her rooms till her testimony be given. Yet it seemed doubtful such an event would even occur. Odin was too devastated over the loss of Frigga, too consumed with thoughts of revenge, too concerned for the Realm to focus on the testimony of one girl about a man who would play no part in the upcoming battle if Odin had anything to say about it, and that would put them at a great disadvantage.

That was one of his reasons for seeking out his father, if Asgard was truly to go to war with the Dark Elves, EVERY single asset was needed. They would need the seer's sight for the advantage, they would need Loki's skilled mind to work out a plan of action that the enemy would not see coming. And Odin was refusing both by putting off even still Kona's testimony. But that was only one reason, another was that he'd received word that Jane had been taken prisoner by Odin, locked away in a room of the Palace, much like Kona had been, and he feared the worst of what Odin would do, what he would use Jane for. It sickened him to think that not so long ago he had been a part of a group of men and women who were willing to do the same to Kona, use her as bait against Loki.

"We are still unable to restore the power shields," Fandral was speaking, giving his report, "Our artillery cannot detect them. Even Heimdall cannot see them," he hesitated, glancing at Volstagg before returning his attention to Odin, "My king we are all but defenseless."

"She's your prisoner now?" Thor called as he made his presence known. Odin turned away from a hologram of the Realm that was displaying the damage to see him and fell silent. He took a breath and nodded at the other men, "Leave us."

The men gave Odin a bow of respect before adhering to Thor's command and leaving the room, leaving the current king and the future king to themselves.

Odin waited till the last man was gone before he turned wearily to his son, "I do not wish to fight with you."

"Nor I with you," Thor agreed as Odin made his way past him, down the stairs that led to the throne, "But I intent to pursue Maloketh…"

"We possess the Aether," Odin cut in, "Malokith will come to us."

"Yes, and he will destroy us."

"You overestimate the power of these creatures."

"No," he shook his head, "I value our people's lives. Father…" he looked at the man with a hard expression, "Do you not see the disadvantage you have placed us at in delaying Kona's testimony? We could have been prepared for this attack if she'd been returned from exile when I first requested…"

"You think I do not know this!?" Odin snapped suddenly, sending his eldest son a glare through his eye.

He could NOT let Thor continue. It was not as though he didn't know what he had done, the grave error he had made in waiting so long to face Kona. He had been…scared. He could admit it, he had been terrified of what the girl would reveal. Either his son had betrayed him…or he had betrayed his son. Neither was a good situation for him, either would break his heart. He had been trying to find some excuse not to allow her to speak, because he could see it. He could see how, little by little, others were beginning to doubt Loki's intentions. Thor had shocked him with his belief that there was something they were missing, the man had been the one to banish Kona himself. Frigga had been understandable, Loki was her son as much as he was HIS. To think he had betrayed them…no parent wanted that. But…he'd glimpsed it, he'd glimpsed Sif as she had led Kona back to her chambers, there was a look on her face of deep thought. And when the girl had glanced at him, he had seen a hint of consideration, of question, had HE been right to throw his son in prison? For SIF of all people to sudden begin to belief there was a chance that what they all thought of Loki's actions might not be what it really was…it had to mean something.

And he couldn't let Thor bring it up that the attack could have been prevented with Kona's sight. She had prevented numerous such attacks in the past, ever since she was a little girl, when her visions had started off as mere nightmares, she had given them ample warning of such attacks, they had prepared, they had come out victorious with minimal losses. And this time…this time her sight hadn't been available, and Frigga, his beloved Frigga…she had died. If he had just returned her memories when she'd first arrived, refused to track down his eldest son in an effort to prolong having to confront Kona and the truth…they would have known.

Frigga would still be alive.

Thor was silent, knowing full well that his father was aware of what could have been different, of who could have been saved if only Kona had been given her memories, and seeing his father in such a tense state, he knew that bringing up Loki and how much of an asset he would be at the moment would not end well, "I'll take Jane to the Dark World," he offered instead, "And draw the enemy away from Asgard. When Malokith pulls the Aether from Jane it will be exposed and vulnerable. And I will destroy it and him."

Odin turned to face him fully now, gently setting the end of Gungnir on the ground, "And if you fail? You risk this weapon falling into the hands of our enemies."

"The risk is far greater if we do nothing. His ship could be over our heads right now, we'd never even know it."

"If and when he comes, his men will fall. On 10,000 Asgardian blades."

Thor frowned at that, at how little care the man seemed to have for the value of their people's lives now, "And how many of our men shall fall on theirs?"

"As many as I make it!" Odin shouted, furious at being questioned while he was STILL the king, this was reminding him far too much of when they'd last argued, the result of that, the events that followed, it was reminding him too much of when they'd lost Loki, "We will fight, to the last Asgardian breath, the last drop of Asgardian blood."

"Then how are you different from Malokith?" Thor asked quietly.

Odin laughed at that bitterly, "The difference, my son, is that I will win."

Thor shook his head, "Then you will need every advantage," he began, a plan already forming in his mind. He knew what he had to do to keep Asgard safe and THAT was what should be on the forefront of the king's mind, the safety of the Realm, not revenge which he knew his father was gripped with. He knew that he had to be careful in his words now, he had to give his father no cause to suspect anything. Supporting his plans would be the way to do it, "You will need every warrior, every weapon…every mind."

"I do not need THAT mind," Odin turned his back on Thor once more, heading for the throne.

"A wise king never seeks war, but is always prepared for it," Thor called to him, reciting words that Odin himself had spoken to him so long ago, making the king stop at the top of the steps his back still to Thor, "A wise king learns from his mistakes. Father…" he continued, more gently, "You have already admitted hesitation was a mistake. We NEED Loki on our side, fighting WITH us, helping us," he shook his head, "It is time father, Kona MUST give her testimony."

He hoped his slight 'ordering' of the King would not be challenged. The last time he had been so forthright with his father, so challenging he'd been screaming at the man, calling him the worst names, insulting him, just…arguing. Now…now he was just trying to get through to him, he was trying to do so calmly, to be firm and commanding but yet not overstep his bounds as next-in-line and not as the King.

When Odin remained silent, he knew he had to play the card he had been hoping not to use, knowing the wound would be FAR too fresh, "It was mother's greatest wish," he began, his voice soft, "To discover the truth, to determine the full extent of what Loki did and why he did it," he watched his father stiffen at that and held his breath, waiting...

Odin sighed, seeming to half-sag against Gungnir, using it as a support before he called out, not looking back even then, "Bring her to me."

~8~

Thor made his way down to the dungeons, needing to be quick, needing to get there and back before Odin could work out what he was doing. He doubted his father would notice really, he had left the man in the throne room, sitting rigidly down into his throne, his back straight, his face firm, but he could tell it was a front, he could tell there was far more on his father's mind than the man let on. So he knew, no matter how distracted Odin was, he really did have to be quick about this. He moved swiftly down the rows of cells, the glass still broken. Odin had ordered an immediate execution of all prisoners that had been captured, knowing there was nowhere safe to put them, and knowing that their actions had allowed for Frigga's death, keeping them all occupied and unable to help her.

He slowed when he neared Loki's cell. He could see the man within, perfectly presentable, his clothes fresh, the room immaculate, everything just…too well ordered and Loki himself…too put together. If his brother was to truly be believed, it everything he claimed was true…then the Loki within would NOT be so strong and unaffected. He would be devastated, broken, the room would be destroyed. He watched the man moving, eyed the motions, the way he moved, he could recognize a hologram when he saw one, an illusion. Having grown up around both Loki and Frigga, he knew the telltale signs of one from a mile away.

But he truly did not have time to comment on it, he had come to deliver a message and just that, "Loki," he spoke, heading for the cell as the 'Loki' within turned to him.

"After all this time," Loki murmured, eyeing him, "Now you come to visit me? Why?" Loki shook his head and Thor could see the true confusion, the true…resignation on his brother's face, the boy truly had believed he wouldn't ever come to see him, "Have you come to gloat? To mock?"

Thor shook his head, swallowing hard at how hollow the man sounded, "I come with news."

"Of what?" Loki straightened, a glimmer of…something in his eyes.

"Kona is to give her testimony immediately," he told his brother, "I am to escort her there at this very moment."

Loki stared at him a moment or two before he blinked, swallowing and stiffening, a move Thor recognized as Loki trying not to get his hopes up about something, "And so the truth will at last be discovered."

"Yes," Thor nodded, "Whatever that truth might be. It shall be revealed."

Loki nodded slowly, "You had best go," he turned back to one of the books on a small table, running his fingers along the top of it but not picking it up, "The sooner the testimony is given, the sooner…" the sooner…he had no idea. He truly didn't know what would happen next.

Thor nodded and turned to go, when Loki called out for him once more. He looked back to see his brother watching him over his shoulder.

"Thor…" Loki began, eyeing him, "I know, no matter what is learned, if…IF Kona is allowed to give her testimony," there truly was no saying of Odin would change his mind or see her and have her killed on the spot, the old king was hard to read when he was consumed in anger, "That you desire vengeance, and…" he hesitated, "If you return Kona to me," he gave Thor a meaningful look, one that spoke of returning Kona's memories and not just her physically, "I swear to you, on whatever is left of our brotherhood, that I shall be an asset in any manner you wish. I shall…submit myself to your wishes," he took a breath, "And I will kneel before you and let you deal whatever blows you wish," his glance drifted to Mjolnir in Thor's hands, "Just…give her back to me."

Thor stared at his brother long and hard, seeing the truth in his eyes, seeing the promise. Loki truly would 'turn himself in' and do what was asked of him, anything asked of him, if it meant Kona's memories were returned. If she gave her testimony or not, if she was believed or not, as long as the true Kona was returned…Loki would do whatever he wished, help the plan his brother KNEW was growing inside his mind in any way he could.

But he found he could not give his word on that, there were too many things that could go wrong, and so, instead, he merely gave Loki a firm nod of the head, Loki returning it before his brother turned away from him again, just…standing in the middle of the room as Thor turned to continue on his quest.

~8~

Gungnir thudded against the floor as Odin stood before his golden throne, the Warriors Three (sans Hogun) and Sif were stationed to one side of the room, on the stairs, Heimdall and Thor were on the other side, Kona standing on the ground before the throne waiting, not quite sure what was going to happen. She had a vague guess that not even Thor or the others knew exactly what would happen either, she highly doubted that many who had been banished with their memories stripped ever returned and had them restored.

"Kona," Odin began, standing tall before them, "Seer of the House of Odin, you stand before your King to offer testimony on behalf of the traitor Loki."

Kona's jaw tensed at that, at how they STILL referred to him as that.

"As an additional punishment to your banishment, your memories were stripped along with your title and immortality," he continued, "As such, all must be returned for testimony to be given. Therefore, I, Odin Allfather, do hereby revoke the banishment of Kona, Seer of Asgard."

Kona heard a blast coming at her suddenly before she felt it hit her, too fast for her to move. She stumbled back, knowing that the blast had come from Odin's staff, Gungnir. She could remember a similar sound, a similar blast, Thor shouting, and her falling backwards into the Bifrost…much like right then…except it wasn't Thor shouting this time, but Odin, and she while she was falling backwards from the force of it…it was to the ground and not to Earth. She hit the floor with an oomph, the breath knocked out of her, stars exploding behind her eyes as images raced across her mind. She didn't know how it was possible, for her to be able to see those moments she shouldn't have ever been able to actually SEE given her blindness. But…there they were, racing and playing and speeding through her vision. She gasped, reaching up a hand to her temples, grabbing her hair as she closed her eyes and curled up on the side from the onslaught of images and emotions and memories…

She gasped, jerking up, still on her side but braced against her one arm. She let out a breath, her eyes still closed, and shook her head of the last lingering images, of her and Loki as children, the first time she'd ever seen him…and swallowed. She took another breath before blinking rapidly, her other hand curled into a fist and pressed to her pounding heart.

"Kona," Odin called, eyeing her critically.

"I remember," she breathed, feeling tears gather in her eyes as not only was her memory of Asgard restored, but her memories of her life on Earth remained as well. It made sense that they should though, they WERE memories, new ones, ones she had none of Asgard to replace. She smiled, "I remember…"

"Rise," Odin commanded.

Kona tensed at that, at being ordered by the king, the same king who had, for years refused to allow her to return. But she did so, she stood, and turned to face him. She knew she had to do this properly, she couldn't give them any reason to doubt that what she was about to say was the truth, she didn't want them to question her statements, and spitting fire at the king and hurling well deserved insults were not going to help her. Loki was counting on her, she would NOT fail him.

Odin watched as she turned to him, her body language matching that of Kona's, her stance, the way she stood, how she clasped her hands in front of her with her shoulders back and her head high…it was Kona returned, "As your position as Seer of the House of Odin as been returned to you, as has your oath to speak the truth in addressing your king."

"I am aware," she nodded, trying to keep the bite out of her words.

"Events have transpired involving the Jotuns and the traitor Lok…"

"He is NOT a traitor," she cut in, unwilling to allow THAT to be said now that she remembered everything. She had never ever doubted Loki's intentions, even when her memories had been removed, she had always believed that he had done what he had for the good of Asgard, and now…she KNEW it was so. It wasn't just faith, it wasn't just a feeling, it was fact. She swallowed, hearing his grip on Gungnir tighten, "Forgive me, Allfather," she continued, biting her tongue, "But this is a testimony of the events. Judgment should not be passed on the parties involved until all evidence has been given."

Odin's jaw tensed at that, but he had to concede that point, "Very well," he sat back rigidly in his throne, "Enlighten us as to the events that transpired regarding Jotunheim."

Kona took a breath, "I had a vision of what Thor's reign would entail if he were to take the throne when he was meant to, if the coronation went as planned and he took up the role of king."

"And what was this vision?"

"Ruin, destruction, death," Kona continued, her voice steady, her words firm, leaving no doubt in their minds that she was speaking the truth, "For all enemies of Asgard. It was a future, I believed, needed to be prevented."

"What?" Fandral scoffed, "An end to our enemies would have been a blessing given the hell we've endured these last years."

Kona pursed her lips, "I said for ALL enemies, every single one. Whole worlds, whole Realms lost to fire. Men, women, CHILDREN, standing before Thor as he ordered their execution. Races and species that had not dared attack Asgard in centuries were among them," she explained, "I was…trying to find a way to bring this matter to your attention Allfather, as peace has been something you have striven for and yet Thor, in a matter of years, would bring it to an end and leave Asgard in a state of constant warfare."

"Preposterous!" Volstagg defended, "Thor would never do such a thing. WE would not allow it to reach such a level."

"Oh?" she looked in his direction, a calmness that Kona had always been known for in her words and mannerisms, "The same way you did not allow him to go to Jotunheim?"

"That is different."

"Yes," she nodded, turning her direction to Thor, "Thor was merely a PRINCE then," and then to Odin, "Had he been king…there would be NO power that could stop him."

"I would not open the Bifrost for such an action," Heimdall challenged her.

"So you would disobey a direct order from your king?" she turned to him then, an eyebrow raised, "Or would you perhaps find a way around it, as you did when you allowed the Warriors Three and Sif to go to Earth, knowing they were to retrieve Thor, AGAINST the order and banishment dealt by the Allfather himself?"

The room fell silent as she brought up the very…ignored fact that they HAD all broken the law in doing what they had.

"Is it not true that, by the order of the Allfather, Thor was banished to Earth?" she looked around the room, yet didn't wait for an answer as she continued, "That an act to retrieve him was synonymous to an act of treason? To disobey the law of Odin?" she shook her head, "You are all so quick to judge Loki and call HIM a traitor when, as king, he merely upheld the last command of the prior king. It is not a law that it cannot be overruled, but it IS an unwritten one that it must NOT be."

"We are not here to discuss the failings of the Warriors Three or the Lady Sif," Odin cut in, banging Gungnir on the ground.

"No," she let out a small mocking laugh, "Why would we discuss it? Their actions resulted in the banishment of a 'true traitor' and the exile of a dishonored son, did they not? Why would they be punished for actions that went against the order of the king yet 'benefitted' Asgard? Or should we speak of how Thor was ordered to Earth to retrieve ME and returned with the one that lead the Dark Elves here in the first place?"

"Kona," Thor called, a warning note in his voice, already having realized his own role in the death of his mother, in the reason the Elves had appeared there, what they were after and what his mother had died defending, but his truly was NOT the time to speak of his faults, this was about seeing Loki free. He sighed, "I will admit here and now that…I DO believe Kona's vision would have come to pass had the coronation not been stopped," he could admit that now, hearing it, hearing how she'd described it, he…he knew it was true, he knew he had been the sort of man who would have done that.

"Thor…" Sif shook her head.

But he held up a hand, "It is true Sif. A wise king can admit his faults. I proved it in my actions, in entering Jotunheim with the intention to war that I would have made a ruthless king, one eager for battle and bloodshed, with not a thought towards the people in my care. I can admit this…it is for YOU to accept."

"Continue," Odin ordered Kona.

"I was attempting to think of a way to approach you, Allfather, with the details of the vision, when I spoke to Loki about it," she continued, "He could tell something was amiss with me, and we discussed it. Loki knew I feared speaking to you of it, that you would disregard my words, Thor WAS your favored son. You and Frigga both failed to see his shortcomings far too often."

"How dare you?" Odin hissed at her, more for the slight against the newly departed Frigga than himself.

"You ordered me to speak the truth," she reminded him, squaring her shoulders and moving on, "He attempted to save me from having to explain the horrors I saw…by allowing three Frost Giants into Asgard as a distraction. He did not know they would attempt recapture of the Casket. He had merely hoped to postpone the coronation."

"He succeeded," Volstagg rolled his eyes.

"And I brought up a concern that it was merely postponed," she nodded, "There was nothing to say that it would not take place the next day, or even within the next few hours. Thor was NOT ready to be king," she said firmly, "The vision persisted. Loki swayed Thor to agree to go to Jotunheim…"

"I knew it!" Fandral shouted, "Everyone knew that to egg you to do something, Thor, all one needed to do was tell you Odin forbid it. Loki did that!"

"So Loki DID orchestrate for Thor to be banished," Sif frowned, and to think she'd started to believe that Loki might not have been the criminal they all thought he was and then they learn THIS?

"No," Kona shook her head, "That was NEVER his intention."

"Then what was?" Thor looked at her, curious, what could there possibly have been in leading him towards Jotunheim.

"He knew you would go to Jotunheim, or try to. He didn't think Heimdall would open the Bifrost, knowing what you are like," Kona glanced in Heimdall's direction, making him aware of the part he had played in all this. The man should have known better, "He did not believe that you would reach Jotunheim, but that word would reach Odin before then. That you would be stopped and that Odin would realize how rash and shortsighted Thor was and postpone the coronation longer, till Thor had matured. It was a terrible fate that you did make it to Jotunheim, that you attacked the Frost Giants. But it DID prove his point, did it not?" she looked at Odin, knowing he was looking down, thoughtful, without needing to see it "Thor WAS rash, he was shortsighted. You yourself said it Allfather, he was thinking as a warrior and not a king."

"I did say that," Odin whispered, swallowing hard as the pieces fell into place.

"Loki was devastated that Thor had been banished. But…slowly…the vision of his reign started to change, small details, little details. I KNEW Earth would be good for him, it would help him grow and mature in a way that Asgard could not. I calmed Loki from that shock…and then another took its place."

The room was silent, apparently it was wide known now that Loki was in fact a Frost Giant, she could tell from how no one spoke, "He was even more devastated to learn that," she continued, feeling tears in her eyes as she remembered that, remembered his reaction, his fear, his self loathing, his disgust, "He thought himself a monster," she breathed, shaking her head, "How could a monster care so much about Asgard's future? He couldn't. A monster would want to see that Thor on the throne and the Realm thrown into chaos. But Loki didn't. All he wanted was a king worthy of the throne…and Thor was not that man yet."

"Then why did Loki take the throne and not Frigga?" Sif wondered, that had always bothered her. The Queen should rule in the King's place.

"_Frigga _GAVE him the throne because he was old enough to rule responsibly," Kona told her, "If someone you loved dearly was lying defenseless and struggling," she looked back at Odin, "Would you leave them? COULD you bring yourself to leave them?" she shook her head, "Loki was old enough, he had been raised a prince, second in line, he was responsible, and…he was a SON of Odin," she looked at Odin with a hard expression, "Frigga could remain by her beloved's side while Asgard was well looked after."

"Loki was never meant to be King though," Heimdall remarked.

"Loki never WANTED to be king," Kona reminded them, "He hated it, every second. He came running to me the moment Gungnir had been given to him, begging me to look upon Thor and see if he was ready, if he could return and take up the mantle of King. But Thor still was not ready. So Loki ruled as best he could…but the love others held for Thor could not be said for Loki, could it?" she glanced at the Warriors, "You desired Thor back, and ignored the position it would put Loki in to do so. To not only overrule the last command of the prior king but his own father?" she shook her head again, "Thor was banished for a REASON, yet none of you seemed able to recall that."

"But the Destroyer," Volstagg frowned, seeing that…everything they had thought was just…falling apart before them.

"And Jotunheim!" Fandral agreed.

"He led Laufey into Asgard with the intent to slay Odin," Heimdall agreed.

Odin stiffened, THIS was the part he had been dreading to hear the truth on.

"Thor sparked a war," Kona explained slowly, needing to make sure that they all understood, "Loki strove to undo the damage Thor had done in attacking the Frost Giants. Three Asgardian guards, slaughtered by Frost Giants in the first attack. Three Frost Giants destroyed in return. There was a balance, the wergild was satisfied. But when Thor attacked Laufey and his Jotuns IN their home…it gave them the opening and the justification to attack Asgard back, in retaliation. Loki understood that the only way to satisfy the wergild this time…was to have the Jotuns attack. He would not EVER risk the lives of the Asgardians, nor of his father, he PLANNED every last detail of that attack. He manipulated Laufey into agreeing to HIS plan, he tricked Laufey into attacking Odin…so that he would have just cause to strike back at Laufey. Allowing the Jotun king so close, having the man about to kill Odin…it was defense of an open attack. And without their leader…the Jotuns would fall by their own devices. Frost Giants are ruthless, a power vacuum would have caused chaos in Jotunheim, they would destroy themselves and if not be too weak from the loss of their leader and the chaos around them to attack us. Don't you see? Loki planned Laufey's attack so that he could stop the Jotun king and have cause to destroy him."

"And destroying Jotunheim after?" Thor shook his head, "If he planned to allow them to fall to chaos themselves, why attack the Realm at all?"

"Because YOU were shouting and calling him a traitor," Kona whispered, "He did the only thing he could to show you he was on YOUR side and not the Jotuns. Destroy them all. Why would he destroy the ones who were his allies? They weren't. He wanted you to see that, he was hoping you would see that. It was the last hopeful act of a man trying to prove his loyalty. But you didn't see it. You didn't believe in him."

"And the Destroyer?" Sif scoffed, shaking, feeling ill at the thought that they had all been SO wrong, "You expect us to believe Loki didn't send it to kill Thor? To keep him from claiming the throne?"

"I JUST said Loki has never and will NEVER want the throne," Kona looked at her, "You had all gone to Earth to return Thor before the Jotuns could be brought to Asgard to begin the plan to stop the war from starting. Loki wanted to prevent the war, to keep it from happening, to…to stop it before it even began. Going to Earth, you forced us to advance the plans. But we still needed more time. The Destroyer was a distraction."

"Some distraction," Fandral muttered.

"It destroyed everything!" Volstagg agreed, "It attacked everyone!"

"Loki ordered it to destroy, yes," Kona agreed, "And to attack…but did it kill anyone?" she waited for an answer, hearing the Warriors and Sif stiffen as though realizing it had not, "He ordered it not to."

"It killed ME," Thor reminded her.

"No…_I _killed you," Kona turned in his direction, "You are aware I was the one in control of the Destroyer once it arrived on Earth," she took a breath, "I saw it, I saw you defending against the Destroyer, facing it down, bargaining your life for the humans…it was the sign you were ready, you were ready to be king. But I saw the vision, Mjolnir still would not recognize you as its rightful holder…because only an Asgardian could truly wield it. And you…were mortal," she looked around at them unseeingly, "Only in death is the immortal soul released," she glanced at Thor, "And only in death could YOUR immortality be restored."

The room fell silent at that.

"And that is the truth," Kona finished.

Odin bowed his head, thinking on that, on all she had revealed…he knew it was true, the way Kona spoke, it was the same manner in which she used when detailing a vision. Unbiased, honest, factual. She was telling the entire truth, everything he'd thought Lok…his son had done…had been wrong. His son was, it seemed, the one that held the welfare of Asgard highest in his heart.

"And New York?" he asked, looking at Kona, almost afraid to see if her story would change.

"It has not changed, Allfather," she shook her head, "Loki DID come to Earth for me. He intended to seize the planet to barter my return for its safety with Thor. Events came into play and he determined ruling them would be safer for ME. He did attack and he did kill, but yes…he WAS under the Chitauri control. He was being controlled by the Tesseract. He was tortured by the Chitauri, mentally and physically, his thoughts warped, his mind meddled with, to believe what they told him, to see them as his allies, and to do their bidding. But he was freed, in the end, he was freed and he went WILLINGLY back to Asgard."

Odin let out a breath at that, leaning forward in his chair to put his head in his hands, feeling something wet on the palm of one, not even needing to pull away to know it was a tear…and why should he not feel so devastated? He could see it in the expressions of the others. Heimdall, Sif, Volstagg, and Fandral appeared guilt ridden at what they'd done, what their words and vouches had meant for the innocent Loki. Thor looked almost…relieved, as though a hope had come true but him? He was…his heart could hardly bear it…

He had betrayed his son.

A/N: And the truth is revealed! :) I wonder what this will mean for Loki and Loka, I can say a very touching reunion is coming ;)

Some notes on reviews...

Lol, hope you didn't see the memories actually being returned coming ;)

I definitely agree, Loki was SO Frigga's son, that was all I could think watching Thor 2 so I HAD to put that in there :)

Kona will be in the second Avengers only if Loki is. There's a twist for the end of this story that would make it hard for her to be there with Thor :)

I agree, Thor was the golden boy and I really wanted Kona to point that out to them, that Odin and Frigga failed to see his shortcomings :) And thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying the story, I hope you feel better soon! :)

Oh but if we call him out on the leg thing he might stop doing it lol :)

It definitely seems like Odin's realized how bad he's made this entire situation :) We'll find out very soon if Loki will be in chains or free to help ;)


	8. Escaping Asgard

Escaping Asgard

Thor hastened through the corridors of the palace, heading for the dungeons, moving quickly as they had only a limited amount of time, truly they had only moments to accomplish too much. Odin was sitting upon his golden throne in the throne room, waiting for them to return Loki to him, waiting to try and make amends to his son, to attempt apologizing, saying sorry…sometimes a rather difficult thing for a king to do. And as Odin waited, and being king, he would know how long it took to reach the dungeons, to release a prisoner and to make their way back to the throne room. Truly they had only that long to set their plans in motion.

It was far too little time to get everything prepared, the tentative plan they had managed to come up with mere moments ago. They had all had to split up, all with very specific tasks to see to, all of them unwilling to fail, for failure would mean…the end of Asgard.

It all depended on them.

Thor quickly made his way to the cell Loki had been in, his brother was still there, pacing the cell, the immaculate cell that was still far too neat, Loki appearing far too calm for having just lost his mother. He knew Loki was at odds with Odin, he'd always had more of a strained relationship with their father, but…their mother had loved them both. Their mother who was…not their mother by birth, either or their mother by birth, had loved them both as her true sons. He knew that he was devastated from the loss of her, that Loki…he had to be more so. To know that their mother had died with the truth of his actions still unexplained.

Loki would NOT be like this upon the death of their mother.

It was an illusion meant to appear strong to others. It was something he knew was needed in the prisons. Any sign of weakness left one vulnerable and open to attack, mostly verbal as the cells were meant to keep them apart, but…it was a defense mechanism that Loki should never have needed to develop. It was not something his brother should feel the need to maintain while being the only one in the prison.

"Loki," he called, stepping up to the wall that separated him from his brother.

Loki turned to face him, straightening, "So…my brother has returned," he swallowed, looking at Thor, taking a breath, "And the Allfather's verdict? Am I to be banished as well? Executed? Made a public spectacle?"

"Loki," Thor shook his head, "Enough," he eyed his brother, "I will not speak more unless you end these illusions. I shall only speak to my _real_ brother."

Loki let out a soft breath, he should have known Thor would see through his charade. He doubted Kona had told him anything, she would not ever speak of moments that were so private between them like that had been, it was just…his brother knowing what he was like, finally seeming to remember what that was.

Thor watched as the image of Loki flickered out, the entire room doing so as well, to reveal everything just the way Kona had left it. The furniture was smashed, the mirror shattered, the objects destroyed, and there was Loki, sitting back against the wall, his hair frazzled, his face pale, the faintest hint of red in his eyes that neither man would speak of, just seeming so weary and devastated.

Loki looked at his brother, "Now you see me brother," Loki sighed, hesitating before asking, not having wanted to ask Kona, "Did mother…did she suffer?"

Thor couldn't answer but he could and did shake his head, not wanting to verbally have to speak of it, "I am sorry Loki…but we have not the time to share our grief. The chance of a far richer sacrament has arisen."

Loki frowned, "What sacrament?"

"Vengeance," Thor stated, "I know you seek it as much as I do," he paused, before reaching out to touch his hands to the glass wall, a light shooting through the wall as it too flickered out much like the hologram of Loki had done, Loki's eyes widening at how Thor was freeing him, releasing him, "Kona's testimony has been accepted, father, the Warriors Three, Sif, Heimdall and…me," he swallowed hard, knowing that it was heartbreaking to be unable to say their mother as well, "We know the truth now. Father wishes to make amends. He wishes to do so now but…"

Loki frowned, seeing something in Thor's words, understanding his brother and what he was trying to say in a way only a brother could, "What did Kona see?"

~8~

_Kona and Thor were walking down the halls from the throne room, two of the Warriors Three behind them with Lady Sif and Heimdall behind them. Kona and Thor had been ordered by Odin to retrieve Loki, the others had requested permission to go with them, to apologize to Loki themselves, to…beg for forgiveness if it came to it. Their actions had been…unspeakably terrible, the consequences even more far reaching and harming than Loki's had been in Asgard. Whereas Loki had planned everything with Kona to a T, having the benefit of a seer at his side, and had done all he had to protect his home…THEY had accused him of horrible crimes, had him labeled as a traitor, his beloved banished, and led to him being taken over by the Chitauri and the attack on Earth._

_They had caused for the entire realm to see him as a traitor, to see him and Kona as the enemy. They had led to a punishment neither had deserved. They had caused the two more pain than anyone should bear. And they had made them suffer undeservedly. If Loki never understood and never forgave them it would be justified._

_Kona was walking briskly, with purpose, with a confidence she hadn't had before. The palace was the same as ever, hadn't changed at all, she knew the way, she knew the steps, she knew the turns and steps and other layout details. This had been her home for so long, she knew it like the back of her hand, she knew how to get to the dungeons and she needed to do so quickly. She wanted to see Loki again, she felt like she hadn't been with him in ages. She knew she had been, she remembered her time on Earth, comforting him when Frigga died, but it was like a dream, like she was watching someone else do it, it was…hazy in a way. And she really wanted to be with him again, to hug him as HER and not the amnesic person she'd been._

_So focused was she on her quest to get back to Loki that the vision that struck her sent her stumbling into the wall beside her, one hand bracing against the wall to not crash into it, the other snapping to her temple in pain._

_"Kona!" Thor rushed to her side, seeing her face scrunched, seeing her wince and start to breathe heavily and he knew…it had to be bad. Kona only ever had painful reactions to visions when they were truly terrible, dangerous, and an infinitely large treat to Asgard, such as an attack, "What is it?" he put a hand on her shoulder but she stepped away from him, out of his reach._

_She took a breath, "The Dark Elves...they're coming."_

~8~

"The Dark Elves…they are preparing an attack even now. We must draw them away from Asgard, and we must do so quickly," he looked at Loki, "I need your help to escape Asgard with Jane."

Loki eyed him, understanding what Thor was getting at. If he left now, it he went with Thor on whatever plan he'd come up with (which he knew, if THOR had planned it that they would likely require his mind to…better it), then he would be unable to face Odin, to have the amends he so desired. But…if he remained in Asgard and faced Odin…he was risking the safety of all who dwelled within it. Thor would not be asking for his help if he did not believe that it was essential to seeing the plan succeed.

And if it failed…he was sure that Asgard would fall to the Dark Elves.

"You trust me then?" he had to ask, it was…he'd lost his mother's faith for a short while, and she'd died not knowing that he wasn't a traitor. Oh he was sure she believed he was innocent in the end, but…there was a difference between believing and knowing. He…needed to make sure that the last member of his family that he still considered family (he doubted he would see Odin that way until he had heard the man apologize to him) truly did believe and know him to be innocent.

"I do," Thor nodded, "Mother did, and I should have had as much faith in you as she did, for that…I am truly sorry brother," he said, his voice so earnest and honest that Loki knew he felt truly repentant, "I…always held some hope, when we fought each other in the past, that my brother was still in there somewhere. It is a hope I regret was not greater than it was. I have betrayed you Loki, not the other way around, and I can only hope that, one day, I shall be able to redeem myself in your eyes," his voice cracked the minutest amount, before he cleared it, "I beseech you brother…I need your help."

"You truly feel the need to ask?" Loki shook his head, but with the faintest smile on his face. His brother could be quite…thick at times. It was a simple matter of facts. Asgard was in danger, Kona was IN Asgard, and even if she wasn't…it was ASGARD. He had risked and lost everything to protect his home in the past, was there even really a question about what he would do?

"When do we start?"

~8~

_"What?" Volstagg gaped at Kona._

_"Malokith will not rest now that he knows where the Aether is," Kona turned to them, resting her back against the wall, trying to calm her heart from the horrible vision she'd just seen, "He will lay waste to Asgard in order to possess it, he can sense it, he'll be able to find it from anywhere now."_

_"Thor," Fandral turned to him, "We need to get Jane out of Asgard."_

_Thor nodded, that had been his plan all along, he knew he had to get Jane away, "Heimdall…"_

_But the ma shook his head, "The Bifrost is closed by your father's orders. No one is to come or to go. I cannot overrule my King's wishes, not even for you."_

_"I'm not asking you to," Thor told him, "The Realms need the Allfather strong and unchallenged, whether he is or not. But he is blinded Heimdall, by hatred and by grief."_

_"As are we all."_

_"Thankfully it is my gift to see clearly what others would not," Kona cut in, "You claim to be unable to help, to disobey your king. Yet you did so once before," Kona reminded him, "Or did you not count Loki's possession and_ _appointment by Frigga as him not being your King and therefore not needing to heed his wishes? Or were you, perhaps, of the persuasion that as Loki WAS king, that the former king's wishes need not be obeyed? YOU opened the Bifrost for the Warriors Three and Sif to go to Earth, knowing they were going to bring Thor back without the permission or banishment revocation of the king."_

_Heimdall was silent a long moment, knowing he'd been caught. The truth had been…he had truly believed the king (Loki) had been corrupt and, as it was his duty to protect Asgard above and beyond any order given by a king, he had allowed and given the Warriors and Sif a loophole to get to Earth. In leaving his sword in the Bifrost controls as he walked away, HE hadn't opened it, the sword had. But Kona was correct, even if he believed Loki was corrupt and plotting the downfall of Asgard, ODIN had been the one to give the banishment orders and he HAD overruled the king's wishes in doing what he had._

_"What do you require of me?"_

_"A distraction," Thor told him, "We need father occupied and on the other side of the palace while we get Jane away."_

_"And how shall we even get her?" Fandral countered, "Your lovely mortal is being guarded by a legion of our soldiers who will see you coming from miles away. They won't even need Kona's gift to do it."_

_"Then do not send Thor," Kona suggested, "Send someone they shall not expect."_

_All eyes turned to Sif who sighed, but nodded, "Leave it to me," she agreed, "But you still need a way out."_

_Thor nodded, they couldn't use Heimdall, the man would be honor-bound to tell Odin about it or to stop them, they needed another way out._

_"Loki," Kona remarked, "I showed him all the means in and out of Asgard beyond the Bifrost. He has explored them all."_

_"Assuming you are able to retrieve Loki in time," Volstagg cut in, reminding them all of the fact that Odin would only be waiting for them to return with Loki for so long, "And you can free this mortal what good would it do? We'd all be dead the minute we step one foot outside the palace."_

_Thor looked at him, at the man who had been in charge of dismantling and destroying the enemy's ships that had been managed to be shot down, "That, my friend, is where we won't be leaving by foot."_

_Volstagg swallowed, understanding Thor's request, "I shall do the best I can," there were only two ships that were flyable._

_"We can lure the guards after the ship you'll be in Thor," Fandral suggested, "Send it flying on, I can follow from below with one of our ships…if you are able to escape the craft unnoticed I can gather you all on the ship and you can escape while they look the other way."_

_"I thank you, my friends," Thor looked around at all of them, so thankful that they were all willing to help him protect Asgard, "I know what I ask of you is treason of the highest order. That success will bring us exile and failure shall mean our death. Kona is right, Malekith knew the Aether was here. He could sense its power. If we do nothing he will come for it again and Asgard will be in his way," he looked at all of them, "Are we each in agreement of our tasks?" they all nodded, "Be swift," he gave the light command and they all scattered, running as fast as they could to get their tasks accomplished before Odin could realize._

_Heimdall made for the Bifrost, Sif for Jane, Fandral for the Asgardian crafts as Volstagg went for the enemy's, leaving Thor and Kona to free Loki._

_"Come," Thor moved to take her arm gently, but Kona pulled away._

_"You see to Loki," she told him, "There is something I must do," and she ran off before he could even utter a word, confusing him as he thought she would have been the one to insist SHE get the man out of prison._

_But he had little time to think on that as he too ran off to get his brother before they ran out of time._

~8~

Loki half strode through the halls of the palace, a wide grin on his face despite the fact his wrists were bound before him. Odin had not yet publicly cleared Loki's name and they could not risk a guard or servant spotting Loki walking free and reporting to Odin that they were not headed in the direction of the throne room but elsewhere, towards the side of the palace instead. Loki was walking rather…briskly if Thor had to describe it, not that he could blame his brother, he knew where Loki's mind had gone.

For Kona's testimony to be accepted, it meant she had her memories back, he was eager to see her once more, to be with her as HE had been with Jane. He couldn't imagine how much harder it had been for his brother in that regard. While HE had not had Jane with him at all, Loki had had Kona there physically…but not mentally. He couldn't bring himself to picture what would happen if Jane had looked at him with a blank expression, asking who he was, not having a single memory of him. It would devastate him, it would break his heart, and…he truly admired his brother for his strength and the depth of his devotion to Kona. To still be around the girl even though he knew she had not a clue who he was…to remain and guard and protect her, to court her all over again…that was a testament to how deeply Loki loved her, and the fact that Kona had managed to retain some semblance of a memory of Loki and who he was to her spoke to how much Kona loved him as well.

"This is so unlike you brother," Loki grinned as he walked on, Thor actually starting to be the one racing to keep up with his brother's long strides, "So clandestine. Are you sure you wouldn't rather just punch your way out?" he jested, recalling a moment not so long ago (in their people's terms) where Thor had been just as likely to break walls down and beat guards away with Mjolnir.

He was…actually rather proud of his brother, of the man he'd become. Everything he and Kona had been trying to do to help him, in postponing the coronation, in keeping him on Earth, any lies or hardships they had sent to him, it had all been for this, for a man who put the safety of his people above all else. For a man who thought things through (granted it had taken Kona's banishment and his descent into madness for Thor to realize how rash he had acted despite believing he held all the information available). For a man who could admit his faults and try to better them, who tried to find out every last detail of a situation (a great improvement from Kona's banishment), who delegated and planned instead of running in without.

This…THIS was a king worthy of the throne of Asgard. It had taken a long time, it had taken more losses and hardships than intended, and it had taken more heartbreak by others than planned, but they had finally reached the point where Thor was ready to be king, where he could take the throne, confident that Kona's first vision of his rule would NOT come to pass.

"If you keep speaking I just might," Thor joked back.

"Fine," the banter continued, "As you wish. I'm not even here," Thor glanced over at a flash of green to see that Loki had disguised himself, made himself appear to be Heimdall strolling beside him, "Is this better?"

"It's better company at least," Thor fought a smile, "Though I do believe others might be curious as to why Heimdall is bound in manacles."

"Ah, yes," Loki nodded, "Less conspicuous then," and in another flash of light it wasn't Loki who had changed but Thor, now in the image of Sif, "Hmm brother. You look ravishing. Not as ravishing as Kona but I assume you would be close by others' standards."

"And yet it will hurt no less when I kill you in this form," Thor muttered, "Enough Loki."

Loki rolled his eyes, "Very well, perhaps you prefer one of your new companions given that you seem to like them so much," one more flash and Thor was returned to his normal self while Loki had taken on the appearance of Steve Rogers in his full Captain America uniform but without the mask, "Oh this is much better," he spoke, mimicking the Captain's accent, "Costume's a bit much...so tight. But the confidence! I can feel the righteousness surging. Hey," he turned to walk backwards in front of Thor, "You wanna have a rousing discussion about truth, honor, patriotism? God bless Ameri…" he was suddenly pushed to the side, against a pillar by Thor, who moved his hand over his brother's mouth to silence him, "What?" Loki whispered when Thor slowly removed his hand.

Thor glanced to the side where two guards were walking past, the two of them inches away from having been caught. While Loki was wearing manacles to not draw suspicion…it WOULD be odd that they were so far away from the throne room and still not heading for it. Any guards on that side of the palace would immediately report to Odin that Loki had gotten access to it and then Odin would be aware that something was going on.

"Can you at least furnish me with a weapon?" Loki asked him, the move…having to rely on Thor…had reminded him that he shouldn't have to, that he was trained to defend and look out for himself, for himself and Kona, "My dagger? Something!"

Thor sighed, "I am sorry Loki, but they melted down your dagger. Father commanded all the weapons in your room and your personal training weapons be disposed of.

"I see," Loki looked down, unable to help but feel like it was Odin's attempt to erase him from Asgardian history, to take every detail he could and remove it, destroy it, erase it. He doubted that if Thor had done half of what he had and truly done it for ill purposes that all of Thor's belongings would be left alone, that his brother would probably be celebrated as a hero or something. It was entirely unfair, yet that was also how he knew the Allfather's mind works.

"Come," Thor stepped away from the pillar, "It is just around the corner," he strode on, Loki hesitating for only one moment before he followed his brother. He was…quite relieved that Thor had stepped out first, not because he would be a good lookout and his reflexes were phenomenal, but…it proved to him that Thor HAD forgiven him and that the man trusted him again. For Thor to step ahead of him…it meant that Thor was comfortable with him being behind him, in a place and position where he could, if he so desired, easily stab Thor in the back (literally). It meant he trusted HIM to have his back as well.

They had just reached the meeting place at the bottom of a set of stairs that led to the wing where Jane had been kept when they saw Sif leading the woman down to them. Jane's eyes widened as she saw the man responsible for so much destruction, "You!" she spat.

Loki though, too distracted by trying to see if Kona had gone with Sif, turned to her with a smile, "I'm Loki. You may have heard of me…" he was cut off quite suddenly when Jane slapped him, hard.

"That was for New York," Jane told him.

Loki rubbed his jaw, assuming Jane had merely not been told the truth of the events just yet, and sending a hard to read expression to his brother, "I like her."

"And me?" a voice called behind him. They spun around to see that Kona had snuck up on them, standing there in her Asgardian attire, smiling at Loki widely, "What do you think of me?"

Loki let out a breath, seeing her, "Thor…release me," he held up his wrists to his brother, not taking his eyes off of Kona.

"Don't!" Jane shouted, seeing Thor actually about to do that, "You can't trust him, he'll kil…"

Her words were cut off when, as soon as the manacles were unlocked Loki rushed to Kona, taking her face in one of his hands and leaning in to kiss her deeply, Jane gaping at him at this man who had slaughtered hundreds of humans in New York, had created so much destruction and devastation, sent a robot to destroy them, and tried to seize the throne of Asgard was…kissing someone.

It was jarring for her to see it was Kona, to see that the girl was willing to kiss a man like that. But then…when he pulled away, when he just…gazed at her, his hand gently stroking her cheek…Jane almost felt like the man who attacked Earth was just…something that had more to the story than she thought. And the expression on Loki's face, it was so soft and caring and loving that…it looked right, it looked far more natural of an expression than the evil smirk she imagined the man would have been wearing.

"You're back," Loki looked at her, his eyes roaming over her face as he whispered at her, his arms moving around her to hold her close, just looking at her, infinitely thankful that Thor had cut the manacles when he had and allowed them to be together again before he had to leave to help stop the Dark Elves.

"I'm back," she nodded, closing her eyes as she rested her forehead to his, "I never really left you though," she placed a hand on his heart, "Like you never left me,"

Loki's small smile started to fade, "I am afraid I must leave you once more."

"No," she shook her head, "You won't have to," she smiled, "I am coming with you."

Loki looked at Thor, frowning at that, had he not been told that fact? But Thor beat him to it, "You cannot, Kona."

Kona's entire expression dropped, "You are joking yes?"

"No," Thor shook his head, "I'm sorry Kona but…if Malokith were to send even half his men here, they would need to be warned. And…father must be kept occupied."

"No," Kona swallowed hard, "No, you cannot keep doing this to me! You cannot keep taking Loki away from me!"

"I'll never let anyone take me away from you," Loki promised her, taking her hands in his own, making her look up at him, "But this time…I MUST go," he reminded her, "The fate of Asgard is at stake, my heart," he smiled softly, seeing a small hint of a smile at play on her face, "I trust no one more than you to watch over her while I am gone."

Kona looked at him, taking a breath, squeezing his hands, "Promise me that you shall come back."

"I swear it," he lifted her hand to kiss the back of it, "Nothing shall ever keep me parted from you again."

She nodded, closing her eyes, feeling…not a vision but a foreboding sensation of the future, "You…you must leave now," she told them, "I can tell…everything is about to begin and you must be nearer to escaping than you are. THe guards are on their way."

Sif and Thor exchanged a look, Sif giving him a nod, telling him silently she would hold the guards off.

Loki looked at her a moment longer, reaching up a hand to place it on her cheek, gently stroking it for a moment, "I love you Kona," he told her, with a sincerity, passion, and vulnerability that shocked Jane, "With everything that I am."

Kona let out a breath at that, "And I love you, with everything that I have and more."

He smiled, leaning in to kiss her once more, trying to make it last as long as he could before he had to pull away at Thor clearing his throat, "Loki…" his brother began, "We must be off."

Loki nodded and stepped back, turning to head after Thor when…

"Loki!" Kona called, as though suddenly remembering something. He turned to see her smiling before she pulled something from the side of her dress where he'd only just noticed she'd put a small sheath. She held up a small dagger and handed it to him for him to take the hilt of it, his other hand touching her own, getting her to carefully release the blade, "I know it is not yours but…you always did prefer daggers."

Thor smiled at that, shaking his head at that, Loki had asked for a dagger only moments ago and Kona had bestowed one upon him, at least now he knew where she had run off to before. It was fitting that she should be the one to gift him with the weapon, she was...quite like a dagger herself, small, unassuming, but sharp and deadly and the greatest asset in the hands of a skilled user.

"Thank you," Loki smiled at her, squeezing her hand, kissing it quickly before he forced himself to turn and walk off. After everything that had happened, all he had lost, all he had suffered, how long he'd been away from her…it was truly the hardest thing he had ever done walking away from her.

And now he was more determined than ever to see the Dark Elves dealt with and Asgard safe so that he could return to the warmth of Kona's embrace once more.

A/N: I want to apologize that there was no chapter up yesterday :( I always check my chapters before I post to make sure everything is good to go and to update any notes that might need to be added. When I opened my Doc in the morning, everything was gone :'( The only thing there was a mess of weird codes and things, I think the site glitched. It did that to the last chapters of Loki and my DW story as well. I had only saved on my computer the original chapter and nothing that I had spent the prior night editing. I, unfortunately, had no time to re-edit to post the chapter as my family and I were attending a breakfast fundraiser for a boy in my town that has cancer, after that was last minute Christmas shopping, and then errands. I didn't get home till about 8ish at night (and I left 7am). I was able to re-edit the chapter and add some more to it. I hope you enjoy it, and sorry again for the lack of update yesterday.

I tend to put up notes on my tumblr if ever I'm having issues posting, so if there's ever a time where there's no update or something like that, I try to put the reason there :)

Some notes on reviews...

There are 2 chapters left after this one, 10 total for the story :)

Lol, I could see him saying that too. ...and then someone saying yes and him sputtering apologies :)

I like to think Frigga's watching it all happen too :)

Not so much break him out as they were meant to take him to Odin and...took a detour :) I can't say about Loki's death or what Odin might do, we'll have to wait and see ;)

I wasn't a big fan of Odin either, I think he could have handled telling Loki the truth (and some of how he was raised) better than he did. I can say we'll find out what happened with Odin here (or at least what happened in his version of the story) :) I'm glad you're enjoying Loka :) I think they're very cute too :)


	9. A Hero's End

A Hero's End

Loki sat on the edge of the small flying craft that Fandral had secured for their escape. It had been a…plan. A daring plan. A remarkable plan. Truly the best plan he had ever seen made.

He let out a breath, it seemed his isolation had made him a tad more sarcastic.

Still, given it was mostly Thor and the other Warriors who had come up with it…it was a good enough plan by their standards. His own plan, had he been asked if he had one, would have been a bit more…subtle, crafty, without the hullaballoo of being chased by guards. No, his plan would have seen them out of Asgard and probably in the Dark World before Odin could even realize they'd gone. He had to commend his brother though, the escape, the rushing about and the flying and all of it…it had made him feel like they were children again, trying to escape the guards. Thor wanting to use brute strength and speed while he went about more of a quick-witted method.

Apparently the great plan had been to steal one of the Dark Elf vessels and lead it off to gain the attention of the guards, have them follow it and, while chasing that, THEY would be on Fandral's craft, escaping while the attention was elsewhere. It was a plan close to one he imagined they thought HE would make, trickery, deceit, sleight of hand, but really…he wouldn't have needed the guards so focused on that. And even if then, a small team of guards had spotted Fandral's craft and the man had been forced to abandon it to take out the guards. Beyond that, he never would have involved Heimdall, the Gatekeeper being honor bound (or so he would claim, though Loki was quite certain he picked and chose the king he was loyal to) to tell the king of his involvement and their plans.

Thankfully Thor had managed to convince Heimdall to speak only when they were nearly in the craft, that way the guards would be looking for it as they flew off, completing Thor's plan. But that didn't do much for them as now Odin was aware of their escape. He could only imagine what was going through the Allfather's mind when he found out that not only had Thor disobeyed him, but that HE had gone along with him. He wondered idly if it would make him reconsider the amends he had been planning to make, if the wise old king would begin to think him a traitor again.

Well at least this time Thor would be going down with him in that category.

He looked over at Thor, his brother tending to Jane who had weakened during their escape and was sleeping now. His brother had endured much the last few minutes. He knew better than most that having some sort of power inside you weakened you. The Chitauri had done the same to him by 'gifting' him with that scepter, with the connection to the Tesseract, he'd been taken over and he'd lost part of himself in it. Jane had been infected with the Aether, oh he knew all about it, one heard quite a bit while in prison, the guards gossiped worse than the oldest wives. He knew that there wasn't much time left for Jane and he knew that the stress of the escape would be too much for her.

He'd tried to keep Thor's spirit's up, keep him distracted by some ridiculous commentary about how terribly Thor was flying the Dark Elf ship. He honestly couldn't even remember half the things he'd spoken of, something about how he hadn't been able to get the ship on at first, pushing buttons instead of hitting them, how Thor crashed into columns and how the guards had spotted them for it, how the guards were firing at them. Thor had remarked it was distracting and he knew he was succeeding, Jane had collapsed at that point and he'd tried his best to keep Thor focused on the craft instead of Jane's health, knowing they needed to escape to help her first. He'd gone on about the statues that he'd decapitated and remarked on the overall plan of being spotted on purpose to be followed…

And then Thor had shoved him out of the craft.

He wasn't sure if it was meant to be a shove between brothers as a means to stop him that got too far or if he literally had wanted to shove him out of the craft at the moment. But in the end, he'd still landed on Fandral's craft, and they'd escaped. Thor had given him command of the craft to lead it to one of the passages Kona had shown him. Thor had thought he was mad as he flew at a crack in a mountain but he'd just remarked that Kona saw things that Heimdall couldn't, and flew them straight in, through a small rift between worlds, and out again, FAR away from Asgard. And there they were, on a course for the Dark World.

"How is she?" Loki asked, but Thor was silent, "She's holding up alright for now."

"She's strong in ways you'd never even know," Thor murmured, tugging up a blanket to cover Jane.

"You should say goodbye Thor," Loki began, speaking carefully, he knew better than most how his brother reacted to loss or the potential for loss, and…he understood all too well what it was like to lose the woman you loved. It was a far worse hell to have her before you and still not be her, to be someone else that looked like her. Thor would never understand the strength it took to look at the woman he loved and still love her, to not try and change her back into the woman she was, but to try and love the woman she had become.

"Not this day," Thor shook his head.

"This day, the next, a hundred years is nothing," he said, his voice quiet, so quiet that Thor looked back at him to see him looking out at the landscape, thoughtful, solemn, empathetic, "It's a heartbeat. You'll never be ready," he swallowed hard, "The only woman whose love you prized will be snatched from you."

Thor was silent, seeing the look on his brother's face. He knew the man was speaking of Kona, of all that had happened between them…because of HIM. Kona was the only woman that Loki had ever truly loved, the only woman whose love he treasured and valued more than any other, more than even their mother's possibly. Because Kona was the only woman who had ever loved him unconditionally, with full faith, with complete trust. She was the only woman who had never hurt him with betrayal, something it pained him to say their own mother hadn't fully been able to do.

He knew that their mother, for a short time, had actually thought Loki guilty of the crimes they thought he'd committed. Mostly because HE believed it. She knew her sons were closer than most brothers were, that if HE lost faith in Loki, that Loki had to have done something to cause the faith to break. It wasn't till she'd questioned him about what exactly happened that she had realized they didn't have the entire truth, that hadn't been till shortly before the attack on New York. He knew it hurt his brother greatly that the woman who had raised them thought him capable of such cruelty.

But Kona had never.

Even when she had no memory of him, even when she had everyone telling her Loki was evil and that he was a murderer, she still held firm to her belief in him. She had never, even unknowingly, betrayed him. She had loved him despite her memories being stripped, she had cared for him, she had trusted him, and her testimony had been what freed him. And now…they were heading to a battle that none of them were sure they'd survive. There was the greatest chance that they would end up dying to try and stop the Dark Elves from using the Aether. They both knew it. Yet Loki had not even hinted at it when he'd spoken to Kona last.

He knew Kona didn't look into Loki's future, he had asked her once a very long time ago, when Loki had been facing a rather large challenge, when he was being tested by the magic users to gain the claim of mastery over it, he'd asked her to look into Loki's future, to see if he would succeed. Kona had merely said she could not, because she did not look into Loki's future. He'd asked her why, why wouldn't she want to know how he was doing. She'd responded that she knew Loki would succeed, because she had faith in him and his skills, that sometimes it wasn't about KNOWING the future, but trusting in the person creating it. It was the same principle he felt she held fast to when her memories had been taken, she couldn't possibly KNOW the future without access to her sight (something that had been blocked along with her memories) but she still had had all the faith in the world in Loki. As he'd thought on that idea, of having faith instead of knowledge (something he now realized he should have had when dealing with the two after his return from Earth, had faith in Loki instead of believing what he thought he knew) Kona had added that…she didn't want to look because the future scared her, Loki's future scared her. She had admitted in a rare instance of vulnerability around him (something she never ever did given what he'd done to her as a child) that she was scared that one day she'd look into Loki's future and see him die, and because of that…she just couldn't bring herself to look at all.

Loki seemed well aware of that as he had made it seem like he was coming back. Now he knew it was for Kona's benefit, to give her faith and hope, to not worry her. If she didn't look, she wouldn't know which of them, if either or both of them, were coming back.

"I AM sorry Loki," he spoke after a long moment of silence, "I am sorry for all that I did to injure you and Kona. It was not the actions of a worthy king, to punish you so rashly," he swallowed, admitting it out loud to his brother. He had apologized to Kona for it though he knew there was a greater grievance he still had to apologize for, and now it was Loki's turn, "No matter what…I should never have separated you. I…I truly did not understand the pain of such a thing till I destroyed the Bifrost."

Loki looked at him, "And yet you kept doing it. First you banished her and took her memories of me, then you made it near impossible for me to follow her. You took me away from her in New York and…here I am," he held out his arms, not biting, not bitter, just…resigned, "Away from her again."

"I thought you would prefer it this last time," Thor remarked, "Where we are going…it is not a place I would wish any of us to be."

Loki sighed and rubbed his face, "Yes, I know," he nodded, conceding to that fact, "Kona would be an asset for her sight, but a liability for her blindness, I understand," he looked at his brother,"Thank you, Thor."

Thor gave him a small smiled, "You, thanking me?"

Loki nodded, "There is a better chance of us both surviving without Kona there," his expression turned thoughtful, "I would be far too worried for her, to be there beside me, to be so vulnerable and in such danger. Having been parted from her so long…Thor I can't stop thinking about her, I…I have just gotten her back and have had to leave her once more," he let out a bitter laugh this time, "Is that my punishment, to always be parted from her?"

Thor was solemn at that, hearing the words he'd asked just before leaving New York, "Never again brother, I swear it."

"You say that now," Loki sighed, "There is no use in denying it Thor, we go to our deaths."

"Do not say that Loki."

"Why not?" Loki looked at him, "What, will YOU protect me? Like you protected mother?" he shook his head, "I am sorry Thor but…I cannot forgive that, my mother is dead because of that girl there," he nodded at Jane, "Because she felt the need to protect the woman you love, because you brought her to Asgard in the first place."

Thor frowned, his hands clenching into fists at that, "You think you alone who loved mother?" he spoke, trying to keep his voice level, not wanting to start fighting and wake Jane, "You had her tricks but I had her trust."

He regretted it the moment he'd said it, speaking of trust, knowing that was the WORST attack he could give his brother, to remind the man who was already giving up more than he had right to ask (the woman he loved, his home, reconciliation with their father, possibly his life) that their mother had died not knowing the truth.

"Trust," Loki scoffed, "Was that her last expression? Trust? When you let her die!" he glared.

"What help were you in your cell?" Thor hissed.

"Who put me there?!" Loki got to his feet, his own hands in fists as he looked at his brother, "Who put me there?!"

That was all he needed to say for Thor to back down, his own attack sent right back at him, reminding him of the mistakes he'd made and kept making. How Thor had been the reason that Odin had thrown him in prison, how he'd been unable to help, unknowing of their mother's death till it was too late.

"She wouldn't want us to fight," Thor took a breath, both of them too raw from the loss to speak rationally and calmly about it, to forgive each other.

"Well she wouldn't exactly be shocked," Loki sat back down with a huff, worn from the small exchange.

They were silent a long while, both lost in their thoughts, Thor looking at Jane before he turned to his brother, "I should have trusted you more."

Loki looked over at him for that, "Yes, you should have," he sighed, "And even if there is a small doubt now…trust in this, those creatures murdered our mother and threaten the safety of the one I love," he shook his head, "Trust my rage."

~8~

The next plan enacted was Loki's own, a plan he knew the enemy would fall for, they HAD to fall for it really, because of what it would involve and how real it would seem. He would prove to Thor that magic and trickery could get farther than brute strength. Or at least that was what he intended to prove. Unfortunately, as he laid on the ground, bleeding from a deep wound in his gut…he knew that, while the plan had succeeded…it hadn't been beneficial to their side. It had been intricate yet simple in design. He and Thor had plotted away as Jane slept, come up with this new way to get the Dark Elves not only vulnerable but expose the Aether as well. All it took was a bit of an illusion.

The two of them had confronted Malokith, or made it seem like they were about to. Loki had the manacles on once more to give the impression he was not trusted by Thor, which Jane's expression had helped reaffirm to the Elves in that she had woken to see him restrained and assumed he'd attempted to betray Thor while she slept. He had offered his wrists to Thor, the man releasing him…only to pull the very dagger Kona had given him and stab Thor in the gut, shoving him down a hill, sending him rolling towards the Elves, Jane rushing after him weakly as he'd stormed down after his brother. He'd kicked Thor in the face to stop him…only for Thor to try and summon Mjolnir…and have him cut Thor's hand off. With Thor injured so grievously, Jane would be distracted, and so she was.

Jane had run to Thor's side, putting her in reach of him, and he'd grabbed her, shoving her towards the Elves with a cry of words that made the bile rise in him to say, words that hurt him more to call than when he'd been forced to state that he'd never cared about Frigga or Kona or anyone in Asgard, that he'd wanted Thor and Odin dead at his feet, but he knew that hatred was something the Dark Elves would be intrigued by. And then he'd shouted the hated words, "I am Loki of Jotunheim and I bring you a gift! I ask only one thing in return, a good seat from which to watch Asgard burn."

It encompassed everything he had fought against, everything he had striven to clear his name of. He was NOT a Frost Giant, he was Asgardian. He was NOT ever going to be the cause of Asgard's destruction, his home's destruction, the place where Kona was right then. It had hurt to say that about Frigga and Kona, devastated him really, but to claim his 'birthright' and wish for Asgard to fall…it was all he'd been imprisoned for, it was like a betrayal of all he'd worked for to say it.

But the Elves had believed him, they'd seen him as an 'enemy of Asgard' because he'd been in the prison too, they'd accepted it. They hadn't attacked him, but they'd seized Jane, they'd pulled the Aether out of her by force, extracting every last bit of the red substance…only for him to drop the illusion that Thor was really injured, to fire attacks at them as Thor summoned the lightning to strike the Aether right as Malokith tried to inhale it. They'd been too late though, and Malokith and the Aether escaped, leaving behind his army to fight and distract them. They'd fought hard but…Loki could see now how true his thanks in Thor had been that Kona had been kept in Asgard as Thor was repeatedly distracted by Jane and focused on Jane and trying to protect her. He'd been so distracted he'd been struck by one of the Elves…he'd fallen and he had been about to be killed…

When HE'd stabbed the beast through the gut with one of the Dark Elf weapons only to be stabbed in return and sent flying back. He'd landed hard, looking up at the monster as it stalked towards him, the weapon still embedded in it, and smirked, saying "See you in hell monster!" before watching it explode.

He dropped his head back to the ground, panting, clutching his stomach in pain as he felt the life pouring out of him, the wound too severe to attempt healing with magic.

"NO!" he heard Thor cry, his brother scrambling over to him, "No, no!" and gathering him in his arms, "Oh you fool, you didn't listen!"

He winced, "I know…I'm a fool. I'm a fool," he panted, his head starting to lull as his eyes fluttered.

"Stay with me," Thor shook him, "Stay!"

"I'm sorry," Loki swallowed, forcing his eyes open to look at his brother, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry..."

"It's alright," Thor tried to be strong as he cradled is brother in his arms, seeing the already pale man grow even paler, his skin taking on a bluish hue, "I'll tell father what you did here today."

Loki gave him a wry smile, "I didn't do it for him," he breathed, "I did it for her," before blinking rapidly, tears filling his eyes, "Do you think she'll forgive me?"

Thor swallowed, knowing what Loki was talking about, a promise he'd made Kona that he himself had only learned of moments ago…

~8~

_The two Asgardian brothers crouched on top of a hill, Thor between Loki and Jane, looking down at the Dark Elves gathered below, the three of them lying low so as not to be discovered too early. They were quiet, solemn, all of them far too aware of the danger and the threat they were about to face, the likelihood of succeeding and leaving the Dark World alive._

_"You know…" Loki began, gazing down at the Elves thoughtfully, "I shouldn't be here."_

_"What, you want to walk away now?" Jane narrowed her eyes at him, not fully convinced that Loki was as innocent as others seemed to think he was, she still didn't understand why everyone was treating him like he hadn't caused the destruction in New York._

_"I meant…" Loki sighed, "Kona and I…we were going to leave, leave Asgard, go to one of the Nine Realms and start a new life, together, just…us being us. I promised her we would."_

_Thor looked at him, shocked, "When was this?" he asked his brother, completely unaware that such plans had been made._

_Loki smiled in thought, "We spoke of it before your would-be coronation," he admitted, looking at Thor, "We wanted to leave, SHE wanted to leave. She didn't want to be treated like a prisoner, kept locked away like a treasure in a vault and only taken out when needed. She didn't want to be watched constantly by Heimdall. She wasn't…happy in Asgard any longer. And…I wanted her to be happy," he shrugged, "I was going to take her away, go somewhere, just…be with her," he smiled, "I never wanted the throne and Asgard had no need for me to stay, I would have been incomplete without my heart anyway," and looked back at the Elves, "But she wouldn't leave till she knew Asgard was safe," he swallowed, "That was when she told me of the vision of your reign, before I stopped the coronation."_

_Thor stared at his brother a long while, "Why did you never speak of this?"_

_Loki shrugged, "As though you'd have believed me to say I wanted to leave Asgard rather than rule it."_

_Thor nodded at that, seeing the truth in it, before he reached out and put his hand on Loki's shoulder, squeezing it, "I swear to you brother, when we return, I will see to it that you and Kona go anywhere you wish."_

_Loki merely offered him a small, sad smile, as though he didn't believe him._

~8~

And now he knew why.

Loki had known, or had feared all along that they wouldn't survive this plan. It seemed he'd been right, HE hadn't, and now…now he would be forced away from Kona forever, breaking treasured promises to her.

"She will," Thor nodded, gripping Loki's hand tightly as Jane slowly made her way over, the last of the Dark Elves having fallen when the larger one exploded, "Kona always forgives you."

"Please…" Loki murmured, his voice weak, "Tell her…tell her I'm sorry. And…" his eyes began to flutter again, his words dropping off, "And I…I love her…" his head started to lull, "I…love…her…" Loki's voice faded as he used his last breath to utter his last word, his last message to his beloved.

"NO!" Thor cried, seeing his brother's skin turn pale blue, his eyes darken to red before they closed in death. He crumbled, burying his face in Loki's chest as he openly sobbed for the man, Jane trying her best to comfort him as he mourned the loss of the brother he'd only just gotten back…

~8~

Kona paced nervously before the throne that Odin rigidly sat upon, the old man watching her walk back and forth across the floor at the base of the steps, her arms crossed, one fist pressed to her mouth, her gaze downwards, tense and rigid and…utterly terrified. He could see it in her face, how frightened she was for Loki. He'd been furious when Heimdall had called him to the Bifrost entrance to alert him to the plan his sons had of escaping with Jane Foster. He'd ordered them stopped…but his men had failed, due to the four standing before him on either side of the throne's base. Sif and Fandral stood to his right, Heimdall and Volstagg to the left with Kona pacing between them, him refusing to allow them to leave till Thor and Loki had returned or the men he'd sent after them had dragged them back.

He looked up when the doors to the throne room were opened and a lone soldier ran down the long path towards them, avoiding the debris left over from when the Dark Elves had attacked, the room partially destroyed, the sudden noise making Kona gasp and spin in that direction. The man dropped to his knee, pressing a fist to his chest in salute, "Forgive me my liege," he bowed his head, "I've returned from the Dark World with news."

Odin swallowed hard, "Thor?"

The man shook his bowed head, "There's no sign of Thor nor the weapon but..."

Kona felt the breath leave her, felt tears gather in her eyes at how the soldier was hesitating to continue…if he'd mentioned Thor and Jane then…then the only one left to speak of…was Loki. Oh dear gods, no… she started to shake her head, Sif glancing at her in concern, seeing how pale she had grown, and glancing at the other three men as they too noticed her reaction, as they too came to the same conclusion as she had about the last member of the party that had escaped.

"What?" Odin demanded.

The soldier closed his eyes, taking a breath before he forced himself to deliver the news, "We've found the body."

"No," Kona shook her head, "No…please…"

It couldn't be...it just couldn't, it couldn't be Loki. He...he had to be fine, he HAD to be, he...he knew how to fight, THOR was there, Thor would have protected him right? Thor would always protect Loki, no matter what, wouldn't he? What was happening...why...why was it suddenly so hard to breathe? Why were her ears ringing? Why was her head pounding yet feeling light at the same time? She felt dizzy. She felt ill. She felt...cold, she felt so cold, like there was ice water in her veins. She was shaking and panting and she just...this couldn't be happening...

"Loki," Odin let out a shaky breath.

"Yes, my lord," the soldier nodded, glancing up through his eyelashes at Kona as the girl stumbled back into the stairs, tripping back on them as she landed heavily on them, sitting there, her one had feeling back behind her for where she was while the other went to her mouth.

"No," Kona's voice broke, "No…you're…you're lying…"

"I am sorry, Spækona," the soldier shook his head, closing his eyes so as not to see her shattered expression, "It IS Loki."

Kona's expression crumbled as she shook her head fiercely, "No," she whispered, "Please…" she started to cry, burying her face in one hand while the other wrapped around her middle, staring to rock back and forth gently in her sobs, "Loki…" she wept, her cries so heartbroken that Odin had to stand and turn away.

"You," Odin pointed at the soldier, "With me, I want a full report," he banged Gungnir on the ground, finalizing the order before striding out, the soldier left little choice but to follow, but not without one final glance back at Kona as she sobbed brokenly on the stairs of the throne. But this…this report, what happened…it was not something the girl needed to hear and so he stepped out of the room, following the Allfather.

The Warriors Two, Heimdall, and Sif looked sadly at Kona as the girl's heart broke, their own breaking for her, to see her so upset and devastated. To know that Kona had only had a short time with Loki since Thor's return, to know THEY were responsible for the separation the girl had endured. She had just been returned to Loki…and now she had lost him once more.

Sif swallowed hard, seeing Kona collapsing in on herself and was unable to bear it any longer. She stepped over to the girl, "Kona…" she whispered, reaching out to place a hand on her shoulder, "I'm so sor…"

"Don't!" Kona snapped, pulling away from her, "Don't touch me!" her voice broke as she winced, feeling like to just move with her heart in pieces hurt her, "Don't…" she breathed, starting to cry once more, not caring that the others were looking at her with pity and sorrow…why should she care? About them? About anything anymore?

The only thing she cared about was gone.

Loki…was dead.

A/N: :'( Poor Kona. Poor Loki. Poor Thor. Poor us, 1 chapter left! O.O I can't believe the story will be over tomorrow! Wow, perfect timing with Christmas Eve eh? :)

I want to apologize for this being a bit late, I've gotten about 8 hours of sleep the last 6 days and I was exhausted yesterday, so much so that I actually took my first nap in what was probably...10 years? I had set my alarm to go off 45 minutes later but my mother turned it off on me and I ended up sleeping for hours. By the time I got up and finished 'real life' tasks, I thought I had enough time to edit both this chapter and my DW story...sadly I only managed to get through half of this one by 4 am...so...2 hours of sleep again lol. I'm editing this at work and hoping my boss doesn't walk in on me (so far he's got a meeting in the am so I had time). I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Some notes on reviews...

Yup, Loki's death has come :(

Lol, yup, just a glitch (stupid glitches) Grrr... :) You read my mind about Kona going/not going, Loki would be totally focused on her and someone else (or him) would get hurt, if he died protecting Kona it would devastate her even more :(

I hope you liked Kona's reaction to the message }:)


	10. Long Live the King

Long Live the King

Kona stood in the throne room of the palace, beside the throne but off the side, down a step or two. She looked completely worn, completely listless, completely lifeless as she stood there in her typical stance, her back straight, her hands clasped before her, in her gold and white dress, the same one she had worn during Thor's would-be coronation. But her entire demeanor was so downcast that it made the entire room quiet in heartbreak.

Thor and Jane approached the throne together, Thor having learned from his past mistake of leaving Jane on Earth to go elsewhere. No, this time he had kept her beside him, the two of them looking at each other before they looked at Odin, sitting on the throne, leaning to one side, almost sagging with grief they would assume. Thor looked at Kona, seeing the pale girl, the one who usually smiled serenely, regally…her mouth in a frown, her eyes down and heavy with grief.

"Kona," he began, "I am so sorry. I cannot begin to find the words to express my grief at the loss of my brother, and I know your pain must be double the amount to have lost someone that you loved so truly and deeply in your heart."

Kona lifted her head at that, looking down at Thor and he could see tears in her unseeing eyes. She looked so…resigned, like she had just…given herself over to the pain and he knew she had. He had spoken with Sif when he and Jane had arrived back. It had been…truly a song worthy battle, one that others would tell tales of for ages to come. But yet he hadn't been able to bring himself to find pride in it. Loki was dead, he'd died trying to save Asgard, to help HIM save Jane. He had gone after Malokith afterwards, tracked him to Earth from a vision Jane had seen when the Aether was extracted from her. They'd used the convergence to get there, had developed a plan with Darcy and Selvig and another man, Ian. It had taken all he had to battle Malokith, to stop his forces, to thwart his plan. He'd fought the man across the Nine Realms due to the convergence, but had finally managed to best the creature, destroy him for good.

And the battle had forced him to realize something, something he needed to confront both Kona and Odin about.

"I want to offer my deepest apologies," Thor continued to speak to her, Jane silent, knowing this was something Thor had to do on his own, "I have wronged you…so many times in the past. I have harmed you in ways I could never make up for. I know that now. No apology I can give will be able to restore what you have lost because of me. You…" his voice cracked a bit as Jane looked at him, confused as to what he was talking about, not sure what he could have possibly done to the girl that as so bad he felt that he would never make up for it.

"_I_ blinded you as a child," he began, Jane's eyes widening as she looked at Thor, shocked at that admission.

She glanced between him and Kona and…it made sense now. Why Kona was so wary around Thor, why she had been so angry upon meeting him on Earth but also afraid. Why she hadn't wanted to be near him. She knew that Thor had to have been a child at the time as well, that it was likely an accident but…she knew the sort of man Thor had been before coming to Earth, and she could imagine the sort of child he'd been. The fact that…even as a child he'd possessed the brute force needed to blind a little girl…even as an accident, it…it was alarming to know, to know this man who had grown to be such a great man…that he'd been that terrible as a child. She could only count it lucky that Thor had matured since then, that he'd become the man he was today.

"And then I banished you as an adult, without hearing the truth of what had happened, of all that you and Loki had done for me…"

"Thor…" Jane cut in softly, giving him a questioning look, the blinding…the blinding, as terrible as it was to say, she could handle, he was a child, it was likely a game gone wrong, he clearly felt terrible for it, but…Loki? The man had tried to kill him AND nearly destroyed New York! And here Thor was, speaking of him as though praisingly? She understood that Loki was his brother, that his brother had just died but…no one could be put that high on a pedestal after having committed such crimes that quickly.

"Jane," Thor turned to her, pausing in his apology to Kona, feeling the need to defend Loki, to explain the truth to Jane, knowing that Kona would want that first, she'd want everyone to know how much Loki had truly done for Asgard, "Loki and Kona…they had cause to believe my coronation, my reign, occurring when it did would lead to Asgard's ruin, they did what was necessary to stop it…"

"Having you banished to Earth was necessary?" Jane frowned.

"That was not their doing," Thor explained, "I nearly started a war with Jotunheim with my rash behavior, thinking as a warrior and not a king. I was banished for that reason alone, Loki and Kona had no part in that but they did use the banishment to help me," he saw her confusion on her face at how banishment had helped, "They saw me starting to grow on Earth, in ways I wouldn't in Asgard. They tore apart my arrogance in leading me to believe father had died," Jane nodded, remembering the sudden change in him, as though he realized he was no better than anyone else on Earth, as though he should start looking at it as his home and be respectful, "They sent the Destroyer to distract me, to destroy but NOT to kill…" Jane blinked at that, realizing…no one had actually DIED in that attack, but a few stores and people's livelihoods had been damaged, "It was meant to keep me on Earth so that they could lure the Frost Giants to Asgard, lead them to attack…so that they would have cause to attack in defense. They stopped the Jotun king, but I…I acted rashly. I acted solely on the word of Sif and the Warriors Three and their interpretation of what had happened. I banished Kona for a crime that wasn't a crime, and lost Loki because of it."

"But…the Destroyer KILLED you," Jane reminded him.

"Only so that I might regain my immortality through death," Thor sighed.

"That doesn't explain New York," Jane shook her head, "You can't expect me to believe that Loki didn't nearly destroy it!"

Thor swallowed hard, seeing Kona flinch at Jane's shouting about Loki, and put his hands on her shoulders to quiet the human, "You recall that Selvig was controlled by the Tesseract."

"Yeah," Jane nodded, "He said it…" her eyes widened, "You're not telling me LOKI was controlled by it as well."

"I am," Thor nodded, taking a breath, "And not just that Jane, he was…he was tortured, by the Chitauri, manipulated by them to do as they commanded, to trust them. They altered his memories, warped his mind…it…it wasn't till Kona broke the connection to the Tesseract that he was freed," he looked at Jane, seeing her shocked by that, understanding that expression all too well, it was his own expression when he realized all he thought he knew of his brother had been wrong, "He came willingly back to Asgard, he stayed in his cell in prison when he could have easily escaped so as to prove his innocence…Kona testified on his behalf, honor bound to explain the truth," he looked down, "All Loki has ever done was protect Asgard and its people…WE were the ones who betrayed him."

"Oh my God," Jane breathed, blinking rapidly as she tried to process all that.

Thor nodded, seeing that Jane was likely going to be silent a while longer and turned back to Kona, the woman standing there with her gaze directed at him, waiting, "I took your sight," he picked up, "I took your home and your memories…and now I have taken your love from you in my quest to try and keep my own love safe. And I am truly and deeply sorry for all of it Kona, every single wrong I have ever done you starting with how I blinded you."

He looked at her a long while, waiting to see if she would accept, but she was silent, so he continued, "I wish to offer you peace. Come with me and Jane back to Earth," he glanced at Odin seeing him stiffen at that, frown as he announced his plans, "Asgard holds too many painful memories for all of us. If you so wish, there is a place for you on Earth with us. Please will you consider it?" he fell silent once more, waiting for her response this time.

Kona looked at him for a long while, before slowly making her way down the steps towards him. She moved till she was standing right before him, looking directly into his eyes despite not being able to see them, just…standing there…

Before a loud crack resounded across the hall as she slapped him, hard, across the face.

Her expression darkened into one of anger, "How _dare_ you?" she said, her voice shaking as she tried to contain herself, tried to keep from lunging at him and strangling the life out of the son of Odin.

"Thor!" Jane gasped, moving to put her hand on his cheek to check if he was ok, momentarily forgetting she herself had slapped him twice before, "Are you alright?"

Thor nodded, reaching up to take her hand from his face, holding it, "It is alright Jane," he told her, before turning to face Kona, "I deserve far worse for the wrongs I have done against you Kona," he swallowed, "I assume your answer is no?"

Kona shook her head at him, "This is all your fault Thor. Everything is _your_ fault. Everything I have ever suffered in my entire life has _always_ been at your hands. What would possess you to think I would _ever_ want to go anywhere with you? You who has taken my sight from me, you who has taken my home, my memories, the only person I have ever loved. And now you stand here and you ask me if I will go with you? If I will leave the only home I have ever known, the only home I have left, to return to the realm I was first _banished_ to? To go to that realm with not only my banishser but the man who has taken everything from me? Every hope I have ever had for the future is now destroyed, because of you."

She shook her head, tears starting to fall from her eyes as she glared at him, "No, Thor. I will NOT go to Earth with you. Everything Loki and I did from the moment of your coronation up to now has always been done with the hope that, in the end, you would prove yourself a worthy King, that you would be the one to rule Asgard justly and wisely. We risked _everything_ for that belief, for having that faith in you, and we _lost_ everything. And now…Loki has lost his life because of _you_," she nearly spat the last word, disgusted, tired, heartbroken, just…angry, angry at him, angry at herself for not having looked into Loki's future, angry at everything, "And do you know what Thor?" she let out a bitter laugh, "It was not worth it, in the end…it wasn't worth it. YOU are not worth it."

Thor swallowed hard, feeling actual tears in his eyes at that. He had finally apologized to her for blinding her as a child, he had finally and truly and sincerely apologized for the only thing she had ever wanted an apology for…and now he realized he had waited too long, that he had harmed her even greater than blinding her in failing to be able to protect Loki. He had failed to protect his brother, he had caused her to lose the only person who had loved her the way she deserved to be loved, the way she loved Loki.

"I understand your grief," he began, Odin watching on silently as all this happened, "I cannot begin to imagine…"

But Kona cut him off, "This is not grief, Thor, this is the truth. No I will not go with you because all that ever comes of trusting you is more loss, more pain, and more devastation and I…" her expression crumbled, "I…I _can't_ do it anymore," her voice broke, "I cannot handle any more."

And with that, she turned on her heel to walk back towards the steps of the throne, heading up them towards the chair, but moving past it, towards one of the doors in the back, just…needing to get away from him, needing to escape him.

"Kona," Odin called, banging Gungnir on the ground as he stood from his throne, forcing her to pause at the door, one hand on it, "You shall wait for me to join you," he commanded her lightly, "There are matters that must be discussed."

Kona swallowed hard, not wanting to agree, not wanting anything to do with Odin either, but…he WAS the king. So she gave him a brief nod and left the room, the door slamming shut behind her. She could only hope that, whatever Odin had to say to her, perhaps he would allow her to be free. Perhaps he would finally allow her to leave this accursed place and go to any of the other Realms. Thor was right about only one thing…she couldn't bear to stay in Asgard anymore, not with Loki's death a constant reminder in every single nook and cranny and hall and object in the palace. And, for the first time, she honestly wished she could forget the events that had just happened. She wished that she could forget this life, something she had never thought she could possibly want before.

But where else could she go? Not to Jotunheim, it truly was too cold and she knew, every time she felt that bitter chill she'd be reminded of Loki and how she'd remarked jokingly they could go anywhere in the Nine Realms but Jotunheim, because it was too cold. The Realm would also only serve to remind her of Loki as well, as it was the home of the Frost Giants. She could no longer go to Earth, not just because it too held horrible memories for her but…it meant the place where Thor and Jane were going to be and she did not want to be anywhere near them.

Odin waited till the door had shut before he looked down at his son with his one good eye, "You truly mean to leave Asgard?" he frowned at his son, "All for this…human?" he glanced at Jane.

Thor nodded, "Yes father," he swallowed, "Losing Loki, losing mother, it has reminded me that there are more important things in life. Love being one of them," he glanced at Jane and took her hand before facing his father again, "Love being the most important thing. I see what this has done to Kona and I cannot bear the thought of it happening to Jane and I. Please father, allow us to be on Earth to be happy until such a time comes that my help is desperately needed for me to return to Asgard."

Odin looked upon him for a long while, "You once said there would never be wiser king than me. You were wrong. The alignment has brought all the realms together. Every one of them saw you offer your life to save them. You are the only king all Nine Realms will agree to follow, the one they shall pledge their loyalty to. And yet you ask me to forsake that? To turn my back on such offers of peace?"

Thor shook his head, "I ask that you off me my _life_," he sighed, "Father…I cannot be King of Asgard. I will protect Asgard and all the Realms with my last and every breath, but I cannot do so from that chair," he nodded at the throne as Odin sat back upon it, breathing out a weary sigh and leaning heavily on the side of it, "Loki, for all his grave imbalance, understood rule as I know I never will. The brutality, the sacrifice…it changes you. I'd rather be a good man than a great King."

"Is this my son I hear or the woman he loves?" Odin glanced at Jane.

"When you speak I never hear Mother's voice," was all Thor could offer to counter, implying his words were his own, he sighed, "This is not for Jane, Father," though he squeezed her hand tightly, "Now forbid me to see her, force me to stay and return her…or say she can rule at my side. It changes nothing."

Odin let out a long breath, shaking his head, seeming so tired and worn, "One son who seemed to have wanted the throne too much, another who will not take it. Is this my legacy?" he looked at Thor.

Thor straightened, "Loki died with honor. I shall try to live the same. Is that not legacy enough?"

He felt slightly like he was betraying Loki in leaving, that the man had given up so much to make HIM a worthy King yet here he was, refusing the throne to go live on Earth. Did that mean Loki's sacrifices were in vain? No, he knew…one day he WOULD return to Asgard, but…right now he just couldn't bear it. So he stepped forward and offered up Mjolnir.

But Odin waved him off, "It belongs to you. If you are worthy of it."

"I shall try to be," Thor nodded, stepping back and lowering the weapon.

"I cannot give you my blessing," Odin warned, "Nor can I wish you good fortune."

"I know."

"If I were proud of the man my son had become…even that I could not say," Odin looked at him, the smallest hint of a smile on his face, "I would speak only from my heart…go my son."

Thor smiled, nodding his thanks, "Thank you father."

Odin nodded his welcome to Thor, watching as the man turned with Jane and strode out of the room, ready to begin his life on Earth. He waited till the man had disappeared before he stood. He walked to the back, where the door Kona had disappeared into was and stepped through. It was a small sort of balcony like room where you could look out the open spaces between pillars and out towards the open courtyards, like a sunroom of sorts. Kona was waiting there, leaning against a pillar, looking out at the courtyard though she couldn't see it, just…letting the sunlight fall on her face.

"It isn't fair," she spoke, her voice a whisper, just as he opened his own mouth to speak.

"What is not?" he asked, walking over to her.

"Thor's love is still alive," she breathed, her voice cracking, "And yet mine is dead," he saw her face scrunch in pain, "How is it possible that my heart keeps beating?" she shook her head, "It should be impossible."

"As painful as it is," Odin replied, "A broken heart continues to beat."

Kona shook her head, "It isn't that…my heart isn't broken."

He looked at her, a bit shocked at her statement, given how much she loved Loki or claimed to…how could she claim she was unaffected by his death when she was crying, "It is not?"

She shook her head, "My heart is missing," she murmured, "Loki always called me his heart…he failed to realize he was MY heart as well. My heart can't beat when it is not there…and I just…" Odin watched as she started shaking her head, starting to cry, "It's my fault, it is all MY fault."

"Kona…" he began gently, but she turned to rest her back on the pillar and slid to the ground, crying.

"I should have looked," she whispered, "I should have looked into Loki's future, I would have seen it, I could have warned him and he'd still be here."

Odin moved to kneel before her, "It would have been near impossible to see him, he was a Frost Giant…" he reminded her gently of the issue she'd always had with seeing them in her visions.

"He was LOKI," she snapped at him, "I would have seen him," she insisted, though they both knew the chances were unlikely, for he truly WAS a Frost Giant by blood even if he was Asgardian in heart and spirit, "I'd…I'd have found a way to see him…"

Odin reached out and took her hands, "Kona please do not fret…" he whispered, his voice starting to sound younger than it should have, "Your heart has not gone missing."

She looked down at their hands a moment, going silent, hearing his voice, it…it wasn't ODIN's voice, and his hands…they were NOT the hands of an old man, so she said something, only one thing that she could think of, "Your hands are cold," she breathed, repeating the words she had once said to Loki after he returned from Jotunheim when Thor had been banished.

'Odin' smiled, "I DID say one day I'd find a way to trick you…my heart."

She gripped his hands tightly feeling a shimmer of magic before her and…

"Loki?" she breathed, hardly daring to believe it but…she KNEW those hands, she had held them and been held by them enough times to know what they felt like. Loki had always been skilled at illusion, but one could only fool the mind for so long and only in two ways, visually and audibly. He may have made himself look like Odin and sound like Odin but…he FELT like Loki…

And now, though she couldn't see it, he appeared as Loki as well, the God of Tricks kneeling before her, holding her hands, "Hello my heart," he began, praying she wouldn't slap him like she had Thor…

And was quite relieved when, instead, she threw herself at him, her arms around him, her lips pressed firmly to his, though he could feel the tears on her face as he kissed her back, "I am so sorry Kona," he murmured as he pulled away, "I had no choice…"

"Why?" she asked him, lying in his arms, having tackled him onto his back, "Why did you do it? Why do it to ME?"

He swallowed hard, seeing the true sorrow and devastation in her unseeing eyes, "Odin would have kept me in Asgard, to make amends, he would have wanted me closer to make up for not holding him that close in his heart," he explained, "I…Asgard was no longer my home…YOU were my home. I still wanted to leave Kona, I wanted to leave with you. And the only way Odin would allow it, no matter Thor's promises to help us…was if he didn't know I'd left."

"You faked your death to…to be with me?" she breathed.

He nodded, reaching up to touch her cheek with on hand, wiping away her tears, as his other arm wound around her, keeping her secure as they laid on the ground, "If he thought me dead…he could no longer control me. He would have granted YOU a request to leave he would have owed you a debt and not felt quite as obligated to 'make it up' to you, and…we could have left together, gone anywhere."

"Then why are you parading around as Odin?" she shook her head.

Loki blinked at her, "Has…has your grief been so bad that you have not seen?" he whispered, startled to find she had mourned him THAT deeply that she had been so consumed in it that she missed what he was sure was a rather powerful vision.

"My entire world shattered around me," she remarked, "What do YOU think I suffered Mischief Maker?"

He felt himself smile at her name, seeing it as a sign that she was listening to what he was saying, though his smile was sad, his world had shattered when she'd been banished, but he knew thinking someone dead as opposed to missing was worse than anything, "Father…I was giving my 'report' to him of…of how I'd fallen in battle, a rather accurate description really…"

"How?" she cut in.

"Kona," he shook his head, not wanting to say.

"I have imagined a thousand different ways, each worse than the last," she told him, "Please, Loki, give me a reprieve from the horrors of some of them."

He sighed, nodding, "I had stabbed a Dark Elf that had attacked Thor…it retaliated and swung at me, it slashed me or stabbed me…" he was being deliberately vague to try and help ease her horror, to make her think it was the least gruesome or harming version she'd imagined, "Whatever it was I…made it seem as though I had died, turn your skin blue, your eyes red, hold your breath and Thor didn't even check for a pulse."

"He always was a bit thick," Kona murmured, feeling her heart restart, feeling herself able to breathe again. She knew she should be cross he'd put her through that but…he was there, he was alive, and…he'd done it for HER, to be with her…

"I use the illusion of the soldier to come inform Odin, I…" he swallowed, stroking her cheek, brushing some hair behind her ear, "I was not expecting you to be in the throne room. I am SO sorry Kona but…you helped me, even unknowingly."

"How did I help?" she asked, "I had no knowledge of your plan."

"And THAT is how you helped," he said grimly, "Your reaction to the news…it left no doubt in anyone's mind that it 'wasn't a plan' and that I really had died. If you'd know…I doubt it would have been so raw," he pulled her in, holding her close, "You've no idea how much strength it took not to rush to you and gather you in my arms," he murmured in her ear.

"It matters not," she whispered, "I am in your arms right now."

He smiled, pulling back to look at her, to finish, "As I spoke to Odin…he…he was not well," he told her, "Mother's death, the threat of the Aether, Thor's own 'betrayal' and then…to add my death to it…he has fallen into Odinsleep once more. But Kona…" his voice grew soft, "I am not certain he will wake from this one, what has he to live for? When it happened, his wife was dead, his son dead, a son he had been unable to make amends with, his other son likely to die…I fear he may never awaken from this sleep."

Kona let out a breath at that, at what that could mean, "Is that why you imitated him?"

"I was hoping Thor would stay, that Thor would continue to be king, that I could draw him somewhere and pretend to fall into Odin sleep so he would not know. I couldn't let the guards know Odin had fallen into it, with no one here to claim the throne…I feared usurpation in Thor's absence."

"That was…very wise," she agreed, to think ahead. There WERE people with a claim to the throne beyond Thor and Loki, but none of them had been trained to be king, they were not ready to be king, and they would not be good kings.

"I hoped Thor would stay but…he is leaving with Jane and…I cannot order him to stay," he admitted, "I have been parted from the one I love before…I cannot see my brother endure the same."

Kona looked at him softly, "So you would give up your freedom, playing the role of Odin, being king on a throne you don't want…bearing the burden of ruling Asgard…so Thor might have some peace and happiness."

"Yes," he nodded, "He is my brother, my family. Father may yet awake and…I shall only stay up until he wakes or…" he trailed off, not wanting to say it. It would work that way, for Odin to wake up, he would resume his position as king, for Odin to die…there would be a body and Thor would be recalled then and ONLY then to rule Asgard…and by then he would be ready and realize his duty to his people, he could bring Jane with him as his queen…and speaking of queens…

"I believe I need a new name for you, my heart," he smiled at her, "At least till Thor returns."

"Why?" she looked at him, confused.

"If I am to be forced to be king, for however long, you would not just be my heart," he looked at her, "You would be…my queen."

She let out a breath, "But no one could know, if you are pretending to be Odin."

"I know," he nodded, taking her hand and placing it on his heart, "But I will know it here, and…to have you as my queen, Kona, to…to have you as my wife…" he smiled at her gasp, "I could endure and bear the burden of anything with you at my side."

Kona could do nothing else but lean in and kiss him, she could endure anything as long as Loki was with her. Neither knew how long they would be forced to remain in Asgard, but the kingdom needed a king…

And Loki had proven himself as worthy a king as Thor was.

To be continued...

A/N: There's no title for the next story just yet, because I try to base it on something happening in the story. I don't know what the next movie Loki will be in (IF there's another one) or what will be central around it. IF there is another Loki coming, this story will continue. If not, once it's officially announced, I'll change the TBC to 'The End' :)

I hope you enjoyed this series and all the little twists and turns :) I hope you liked the ending and Loki's reasons for doing what he did ;)

For anyone who's interested, I have a Thor/OC story planned to be posted in 2014, my tumblr (link on my profile) has a page for upcoming stories where I list the tentative dates and shows I'll be writing for. So far...2014 has a hopeful 38 new stories ;)

I just want to take a second to say thanks to you all :) To anyone who's read/reviewed/favorited/followed/anything the story. You guys mean the world to me and I'm so happy to know you're liking the series so far :) You guys are just the most amazing people ever :') I hope you all have a very happy holiday and a brilliant new year ^-^

Some notes on reviews...(I'll try to answer any questions in the next Loki story if there is one :))...

Lol, I'm glad I worried you about Loki }:) There was definitely a twist planned ;)

So far Loki's now in charge so Kona is safe, she won't be watched, she'll be freer than before :) But it'll all depend on how the next Loki movie goes if there is one :)

Lol, Loki's not killed off just yet ;)

Loki's back! Woo! :) Lol, you could try to send her to TH, but I think Loki would fight you for her ;) And no worries, I definitely get real life getting in the way :) I'm glad you're excited for the future stories :) I can't say off the top of my head about Thor and Kirk, but I have a post on my 'Upcoming Stories' page of my tumblr with the tentative dates for all Movie/show stories for 2014 ;) Sheldon I know is around August, but Reid seems like it'll be 2015 :)

Lol, nope, no evil Kona so far }:)

It's cool, I'm glad you liked the chapter :) I am a little mean to Angel, but I plan for Series 8 to be MUCH better ;)

Aww, I'm sorry I made you cry :( I hope this chapter cheered you up though ;)


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